IS TRUMP GUILTY? AN INTERNATIONAL LAWYER’S PERSPECTIVE

BY COURTENAY BARNETT

THE ADDRESS TO CONGRESS WHICH ( IN MY WILDEST IMAGINATON NEEDS TO BE HAD) – AT THE TIME OF IMPEACHMENT OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S.

Honourable Chairman, distinguished members of this joint sitting of the Congress of the United States of America, honoured guests, ladies and gentlemen, I am truly honoured to have been asked to address this august body.

The historical context

I am Jamaican by birth, human by accident of existence, and an aspirant to be of  a higher order’s making, yet  truly humanitarian at heart. Why this humble person  should have been asked to address one of the world’s ( if not the world’s – save and except the UN General Assembly’s) most powerful bodies ( if not bodies combined) – totally astounds and defeats my wildest imagination. Nevertheless, here I am, so I advance  in response to the three(3) issues I have been asked to speak on:-

  1. What is my opinion of what is the greatest strength of the Constitution of the United States of America?
  2. What is my opinion of the Constitution’s greatest weakness?
  3. What is my opinion on the recent impeachment of President Donald J. Trump?

The first question

In answer I can be very brief. It is that the U.S. Constitution is a well crafted document designed to ensure that there is strong governmental oversight with accountability and checks and balances.

The second question

This is a more complex matter, for the Constitution as a living document subject to the socio-economic environment within which it operates lends itself  susceptible to the power within and impact from that very environment. I shall explain with one (1) central and important example.

Now let us raise two(2) important names in US Post World War 11 history. The first is George Kennan – but – who was he? He was the US Ambassador to Moscow and then the US architect of the ‘Cold War’. Truly a brilliant man who authored a series of foreign policy papers which defined more than over half a century. Here is what he said with foresight:-

“Were the Soviet Union to sink tomorrow under the waters of the ocean, the American military-industrial establishment would have to go on, substantially unchanged, until some other adversary could be invented. Anything else would be an unacceptable shock to the American economy.”

He was correct and presaged what then in his farewell speech General ( Later – President) Eisenhower had to say with great sagacity and prescience  to the American people:-

“So is the very structure of our society. In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.”

Stated briefly – he was saying – beware the military-industrial complex.

That is the nub of this, my Congressional address. All of you are there.

  1. Where is the rationality in building and stockpiling more armaments ( many nuclear ones) which can never be deployed against another nuclear power without the predetermined outcome of mutually assured destruction ( MAD)?
  2. What sense is there in building this global arsenal of bases and war planes and armadas and more weaponry – on and on and on?
  3. Where in your Congressional oversight and is there anyone who ever begins to ask rational questions – such as the forgoing just posed?

I could proceed – but you would have to invite me back to present a full-throated delivery. Far too diplomatic to proceed further on this occasion  – lest I offend.

The third question

Here, I see that there is both a Constitutional and political  problem in the United States of America.

So, here I stand,  before you as an invitee to address the difficulties which your country presently faces.

I could lay a foundation to build on a structure of historical references. Rather, I speak and shall limit myself to the  truth about and immediate impact of the impeachment.  I do believe that what I have to say can be coded and encapsulated in quite diplomatic terms from which your own honest determination can make as an informed decision. I do so by way of an analogy.  

Problem

The problem in essence is that there is a President who is alleged to have abused his high office?

Issue

Did he?

Answer

I am not an American and so, while on American terrain, let me then address you in this wholly diplomatic manner.

I therefore reason, as I said I would, by way of analogy.

Say, for instance, a lawyer of great experience finds himself or herself asked by a Judge to represent on legal aid, an indigent female client.

The lawyer accepts.

The lady attends for first interview – and she happens to be extremely attractive.

The lawyer after accepting the professional obligation, in private, in coded language, makes clear to the client that while he is willing to advance her case, it would be subject to conditionalities of an amorous sort. He effectively seeks a ‘favour’ from the lady. He goes further and indicates relative to his professional duty that he could expedite to trial or he could await a longer route to trial. Unbeknown to him, a member of his office staff overhears the conversation and is appalled.  The  staff member anonymously brings the matter to the attention of the Ethics Committee of the Bar association.  In effect there is this  ‘whistle blowing’.

The lawyer  discovers that a formal complaint has anonymously been lodged against him in a two(2) pronged process:-

  1. To the Ethics Committee of the Bar Association to see whether or not there is a serious matter to be addressed and then be referred upwards.
  2. Reference to the Disciplinary Committee of the Bar Association, if there is a case to be answered.

The lawyer treats the Ethics Committee with total contempt and tells them that he will not be present and says further that the process is a  total sham and that it is a ‘witch hunt’ and forbids all his staff from speaking to the Ethics Committee.

The Ethics Committee in those circumstances examines the limited evidence which they have and in turn decide that the conduct ( read: misconduct) is sufficiently serious to be referred to the Disciplinary Committee. There is a case to answer.

The lawyer, knowing full well that his close and personal associations with all the members of the Disciplinary Committee, who are friends of his and/or persons who are wholly dependent upon him for referral of case work – which he is most able to feed to all and sundry – sits back with ease.

Conclusion

I am a total outsider – yet – I posit a humble opinion based on my legal knowledge. It is for you to decide whether or not the conduct of such a person, be it the lawyer or the President of the United States is ethical, is principled, is in accordance with the requirements and requisite standards of his office.

As I said, I am not an American citizen, but I realise that America has a Constitutional crisis on her hands.

Thank you for having afforded me this opportunity. 

While the lawyer in my analogous reference, is standing on safe ground – what does that auger for the future of the integrity of the lawyer’s Bar Association and legal system? Without undue interference – in any future American electoral process – what does President Trump’s situation auger for the American Constitution?

I remain most appreciative that this, again stated, august body, thought me worthy to address to their elected members.

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* COURTENAY BARNETT is a graduate of London University. His areas of study were economics, political science and international law. He has been a practising lawyer for over thirty years, has been arrested for defending his views, has been subjected to death threats, and has argued public interest and human rights cases. He lives and works in the Caribbean.

THE BRITISH ELECTION – 2019

BY COURTENAY BARNETT

I dispatch this missive to those who are thoughtful, intelligent ( whether from the right or the left) and who do believe that in this globalised world of ours, we actually all do need each other. In fact, even back to ol’ Ghengis Khan’s time  and before – ‘globalisation’ is not, on an accurate historical assessment, a new phenomenon. It has so been packaged to serve the interests of a narrow modern day elite ( but that commentary for another day and another time). Today we shall examine, in a brief way, the recent British election results.

First, let me go wide to narrow my observations.

For those of us who follow global political processes, then this becomes evident.  Jo Swinson, of the Liberal Democrats,   took a position which did defeat Labour remainders. She lent her support to Boris Johnson and his  call for an early election. That is where it all started. Comment: Swinson lost  her  seat to the Scottish National Party ( SNP) – a point to which I shall return.

Put the politics aside for the  moment and let me share my opinion ( for what it is worth) on the more important issue  of the economics of the moment as it may impact the United Kingdom going forward.

Frist, across the wide Atlantic we find some similarities between the US and Britain:-

  1. In the US there is a so-called ‘rust belt’. 
  2. In the UK there is the midlands and then Northern England.
  3. With regards to both A and B these are primarily working class and blue collar people areas which traditionally are either solidly Democratic or Labour voters.

So, what happened in the UK?

I answer my question in this both practical and theoretical way.

It is not highly likely that persons faced with daily bread and butter issues are going to be raising questions in their minds about what is structurally dictated unemployment? Or, what is, as related to the first question, globally dictated  structural unemployment? The first question relates to domestic shifts in investment and the latter to the global situation. But, what does all of that have to do with anything? Actually – everything.

When global capital decides that it is investing in a region, or country ‘A’ or ‘B’ or ‘C’ as the case may be, the decision is made in totally pragmatic terms. More profit relative to the level of investment.

So, when jobs move from the traditionally established Western countries to more attractive and profitable regions of the world, such as China, then there is an unemployment hole left in the former US and UK industrial belts.

What then?

Well, the unemployed, or under-employed situation and others suddenly need an economic answer. How does that come?

It comes in the US from Donald Trump making a series of anti-immigrant; anti-Muslim; anti-Semitic embraced speeches and statements ( such as that there were good people on both sides in Charlottesville Virginia where the neo-Naizs were marching) and a general anti ‘other’ set of politically motivated speeches – which help to create tensions amongst diverse people within a country. Playbook followed over in Europe too.

But what is the real  problem?

Well, ‘dear leader’ Boris – may I suggest that your real challenge is as follows:-

  1. How do you address the issues which the people in the Midlands and the North of England face – especially regarding jobs and unemployment?
  2. If you can succeed in striking a US/UK trade deal – then on what terms and will same be proven to be mutually beneficial for both the US and UK? We already know that Donald, as with all his other ‘successful’ business ventures will be angling to do as he did with China – only to find that he has absolutely no basis of understanding of economics 101 when it comes on to trade-wars. But, be forewarned – the UK does not wield as much power as China.
  3. You have promised more, much more investment, in education – and – you are to be commended for that.
  4. There is the question of the future treatment of the NHS – and that remains to be seen.
  5. The relationship with Northern Ireland and whether you prove to be a man to your word – remains to be seen.
  6. Last, but not least, there is the SNP victory, which now necessitates an early, if not immediate second referendum on Scottish independence.

Boris, I am not your enemy, for at heart and throughout my legal career I have demonstrated and proven myself to be a humanitarian. Hate not – and – try to assist as best one can as a human being – one to the other.

I have given you a short ‘dirty dozen’. Do not despair – my hearty congratulations on your victory.

My short six( 6) points constitute  just an adumbrated form of the challenges which you face going forward.

But victor Boris and vanquished Jeremy, really and truly do not despair. I am on the cusp of completing my five(5) star Villa in the Caribbean, hopefully to be operational by mid-February, 2020. When the post-election stress hits both of you, be assured that both of you shall be welcomed. As regards you Boris – you are an avowed capitalist; and you Jeremy are an avowed socialist.

Let me give both of you  a warning.

Boris – you will have to pay top dollar, for that is what the market commands and you will have to pay full price for a top retreat and your much deserved  relaxation.

Jeremy – there shall be no Turks and Caicos Islands state subsidy paid out for your retirement and a justly due vacation. Full price as usual.

Based on that understanding, please book in advance.

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* COURTENAY BARNETT is a graduate of London University. His areas of study were economics, political science and international law. He has been a practising lawyer for over thirty years, has been arrested for defending his views, has been subjected to death threats, and has argued public interest and human rights cases. He lives and works in the Caribbean.

A STRATEGY FOR ACTUALLY DRAINING THE POLITICAL SWAMP OF SPACESHIP EARTH

By Richard John Stapleton

About thirty percent of US citizens love Donald Trump, mostly true-believing conservatives, evangelicals, etc.

About fifty percent of US citizens detest Donald Trump, mostly liberals, freethinkers, etc.

Some say the most significant difference between the two groups is racism, pure and simple. Who can prove it?

And some say there are fundamental differences in how the two groups see their worlds and think they should be run. 

True believer conservatives are in general authoritarians, generally seeing the world as black or white, with clear-cut rules that must be obeyed.

Liberals (moderates at least) are more democratic, more open-minded, more inclined to see shades of grey, and are more tolerant of differences.

And the personalities of the two groups are different.

True-believing Conservatives use more critical parent and adapted child ego state energy than Liberals. They believe more and question less.  

Since extreme Conservatives and Liberals know they are right they have permission to do less unto others than they would have others do unto them.  

They are more militant and warlike, more clannish. Their attitude is I’m OK and You (if you are different from me) are NOT OK.

Dyed-in-the-wool Liberals use more nurturing parent and free child ego state energy transacting with others. Being less authoritarian and less rigid they experiment more and are more respecting of the rights, feelings, thoughts, and behaviors of others.

Members of both groups think they are smarter than the other. Since they know they are right they must be smarter or they would not have decided what they decided in the first place, about how the world works and how it should be run, and about what and how one should adapt and flex transacting with others.

Trump may be the least hypocritical president the US has had, the most transparent, the least deceptive, thanks to his Tweets, in which he often blurts out whatever happens to pop up in his mind, despite generally being a venal ungodly selfish lying clown, who was smart enough not to lose all the money his family gave him, and who was smart enough to parlay his simplistic ideas and behaviors, and that inherited money, into becoming President of the (dis)United States—winning the biggest ego trip contest around Spaceship Earth.

Since Trump thinks like his supporters his supporters therefore think he is smart and they are smart for electing him president, confirming how smart they were all along, smarter than Liberals.

What needs to be drained in the Earthian political swamp is the pernicious pentagonal paradigm of organizational perversity, described by Stephen Karpman, MD, and the five deadly organizational sins, told to me by Martin Groder, MD, one of my transactional analysis mentors, described in detail in my book Business Voyages: Mental Maps, Scripts, Schemata, and Tools for Discovering and Co-Constructing Your Own Business Worlds (2008), still in print, available at Effective Learning Publications listed on the masthead of this blog above.

The Five Deadly Organizational Sins (drumroll please) are: Power, Money, Sex, Righteousness, and Smarts.

Why are these sins deadly in organizations? They’re deadly because they corrupt organizations, rendering them incapable of achieving effective goals efficiently.

If an organization’s members focus most of their mental and physical energy on proving how powerful they are, how much money they have (regardless of how gained), how sexy they are, how right they are, and how smart they are they will naturally waste energy that should have been used to achieve the organization’s legitimate goals.

Teaching organizational behavior in a business school and doing organizational development work with organizations as a consultant, I used to draw a pentagon on a flip sheet and then label the five points of the pentagon with the words power, money, sex, righteousness, and smarts, and then explain to my learners how each of the points could erode and maybe destroy the functioning of their or any organization.

In order to be effective and worthwhile an organization has to do work in its environment, changing something for the better or producing necessary goods and services in its environment, that cannot be done efficiently, or maybe at all, if people in the organization are primarily focused on adapting and flexing to the power, money, sexual, righteousness, and smarts urges and messages of others, especially if supervisors and managers up the organizational chain of command are demonstrating in multifarious social and psychological ways they are more OK than others, playing Top Dog, the most ubiquitous psychological Game in organizational life, caused by organizational leaders engendering an organizational culture in which subordinates are required to recognize socially and psychologically using verbal and body language signals (by saluting in fascist organizations) how powerful, rich, sexy, right, and smart their supposedly superior organizational leaders are.

For more detail on why and how this is true read my e-book, Recommendations for Waking Up From The American Nightmare, at Amazon.com, or my paperback book, Born to Learn: A Transactional Analysis of Human Learning, also available at Effective Learning Publications above.

One can build a case the US under Trump as an organization is now more sinful than any previous US administration, and the US is now the most organizationally sinful nation around Spaceship Earth.

The US has been sinking into its power-mad narcissistic self-righteous egotistical sinful ways for decades after inevitably winning WWII, electing relatively sinful presidents, starting in 1946 with Truman, with since then one relatively sin-free president, Jimmy Carter, but including three off-the-chart sexual sinners, Kennedy, Clinton, and Trump.

Truman, Johnson, Nixon, Reagan, Bush I, and Bush II were among the worst money-grubbing, power-mad, and self-righteous US presidential sinners since the 1950s, dislocating and killing millions of Earthian humans, trying to prove capitalism is right, communism is wrong, and the US is entitled to a disproportionately large share of Earth’s wealth and resources.

Trump seems to think he is the smartest, calling himself a stable genius.

How to get the populations of all nations around Earth off the Five Deadly Organizational Sins Pentagon, not only top dog leaders, is another matter.

Whether it can be done before the consequences of past organizational sins destroy all Earthian species through global warming and climate change or shooting off nuclear bombs remains to be seen. 

Fascist economic and political systems encourage the five deadly organizational sins more than most, but no Earthian nation has been without organizational sin.

The US and China are now the economic and political leaders among Earthian nations. Both the supposedly capitalistic US and the supposedly communistic China have become more fascist in recent years. Whether Communist China becomes as fascist as Communist Russia did before it imploded remains to be seen.

One can build a case all national governments throughout Earthian history eventually ruined themselves committing The Five Deadly Organizational Sins, Power, Money, Sex, Righteousness, and Smarts, eventually becoming ruled by fascists mired in orgies of organizational sin, attempting to gratify themselves ensconced in isolated centralized power-mad hierarchies. Nero comes to mind.

Nations as organizations exist because of historical evolutionary forces that caused existing human practices and problems to be moved into new territories enabling individuals and groups to accumulate enough power to delineate and defend geographic boundaries, within which Earthian humans with similar beliefs, ideas, practices, and so forth could live with a modicum of peace and satisfaction. This process naturally entailed conflict, competition, and wars among nations and people.

Through time humans became addicted to competition and war, many finding it satisfying, raping, killing, pillaging, etc.

Many Earthian humans now think the major purpose of a nation is to win wars and prove it’s more powerful, rich, sexy, right, and smart than competing nations, as if playing college or professional football and basketball games in conferences and leagues, hoping to win a national championship.

Not so. The only legitimate justification for the existence of a nation is to produce services that enable Earthian humans to live peaceful and satisfying lives, proving in the process its salaried teachers, politicians, judges, civil servants, and military employees actually do some work, rather than waste their time and energy engaged in entropic time structuring such as playing Top Dog, I’m Only Trying to Help You, If It Weren’t For You, and other psychological Games not doing much for citizens and doing violence against other nations, imposing sanctions, invading and looting, and dropping bombs; reciting, performing, marching, and participating in ceremonies and rituals; and bullshitting with individuals, groups, and organizations.   

The best hope in the short run would be for deep-thinking hard-hitting politicians like Bernie Sanders and Tulsi Gabbard to resign from the contaminated ineffectual DNC to run in 2020 as Independents for president and vice president.

There might be enough of us disillusioned US voters and non-voters out there to put them in office.

They could not fully drain the swamp in eight years, but they could make a good start, proving third party candidates are more likely to drain the swamp than Deep State bought and paid for pork barrel establishment politicians, touted by conservative establishment Demos and Repugs in the DNC and RNC National Committees.

Feel free to repost, reprint, or otherwise share this essay any way you see fit.

Richard John Stapleton, PhD, CTA, is a certified transactional analyst, and the Editor & Publisher of the Effective Learning Report and The Earthian Forum at www.effectivelearning.net        

THE EARTHIAN FORUM — 13

THE EARTHIAN FORUM, Number Thirteen, Effective Learning Publications, https://www.effectivelearning.net/effective-learning-publications.html 32 East Main Street, Statesboro, Georgia, USA, November 11, 2019

THE EARTHIAN FORUM is a digest of articles containing facts, perspectives, theories, models, analyses, and recommendations concerned about existential states of affairs affecting all species of fauna and flora around Spaceship Earth. Recent articles written and published by writers in Internet posts on ecological, economic, social, psychological, sexual, political, religious, and military states of affairs around Spaceship Earth are linked below as sources.

“ASK LESS WHAT YOUR NATION CAN DO FOR YOU—ASK MORE WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR SPACESHIP EARTH”

OR SO IT SEEMS TO ME RIGHT NOW

By Richard John Stapleton, PhD, CTA, Editor & Publisher

According to Michael Adzema, an anthropologist I encountered on the Internet a few years back, humans had it pretty good before they started growing their own food and raising livestock. Back in the day, say maybe thirty thousand years ago, the human species made a living by hunting and gathering food that nature provided in abundance in a few hours per day without straining and stressing themselves doing hard supervised labor for wages and salaries.

Humans lived in small groups that worked cooperatively to make a living. There would have been no need for hierarchical authoritarian management structures such as those in large corporations, governments, armies, and political parties today.

While most lives were probably shorter than they are now they could have been more satisfying and peaceful. 

But when humans started growing crops and raising livestock they had to compete with other humans for land, which they had to defend.

Over thousands of years humans created stories about how their states of affairs evolved. A common story was that human-like gods created humans to alleviate boredom and loneliness for themselves.

When things went wrong on Earth, such as droughts, diseases, and famines, humans assumed they had displeased their gods, so they created priests to figure out ways for humans to say and do things to please the gods, especially to obey things the gods told the priests they required. 

Humans gradually developed warriors and more and more powerful military forces to defend their tribes from competing tribes and to conquer land from other tribes.

This process of development stemming from moving from hunter-gathering to agricultural enterprises inevitably led to the creation of more and more specializations of ways of producing things and structuring time.

Most humans grew crops and herded cattle and sheep, but others spent most of their time fighting and training to fight, while others spent most of their time praying and conducting rituals and ceremonies to please or appease the gods; and some spent most of their time building houses and lodges, or erecting things such as pyramids, and doing many other things.

Over centuries or millennia some of the religious stories told humans they had once lived in a fabulous garden free of strife wherein they were happy, secure, and satisfied—until they angered the gods so much they were banished from their bountiful garden, according to one story, caused by eating a forbidden apple.

Stories about humans being banished from a fabulous nurturing garden to a hostile miserly world are still true in some particulars. Some humans still have to work long and hard most days to earn their bread by the sweat of their brows, and it remains true that most humans today live lives in miserly environments vastly different from life in any sort of Garden of Eden.

But evolution since the supposed human banishment from nurturing generous gardens has caused drastically different forms of misery for humans brainwashed in disparate inevitable cause-effect chains. Most Earthian humans today are relatively or absolutely impoverished, working long and hard most days, if they have a full time job, or two or three gig jobs, to stay alive; while about fifty percent of Earth’s wealth is now owned and controlled by about one percent of the Earthian human population, who do no hard physical work, or maybe no work at all of any kind, while all humans (rich and poor, workers and non-workers) are threatened with extinction caused by global warming, climate change, and nuclear war.

The major cause of the unfair economic inequality now existing among humans that evolved after most humans stopped their hunting and gathering ways many thousands of years ago is the Earthian capitalistic economic system, which enables some humans to acquire their necessities of life and other goods and services not by working but by owning capital; and the more capital they own the easier it is to acquire more capital at an exponential rate, to further increase their wealth through time.

It’s worth mentioning that a few hunter-gatherer tribes still exist today in biological jungles around Spaceship Earth, and most of their members are probably more satisfied with their egalitarian non-polluting lives than are most humans not living off the land in remote jungles, who are subjected to authoritarian hierarchical organizations to make a living and who are addicted to technological devices of all sorts that necessitate the polluting of Earth’s land, rivers, oceans and atmosphere.

Present day hunter-gatherer tribes seem to be doing everything they can to keep on hunting and gathering to make a living while non-hunter-gathering humans are slowly but surely destroying the environments of the hunter-gatherers.

However successful today’s hunter-gatherers may be defending themselves and their environments from invaders in their remote isolated biological jungles, most likely they too will become extinct if technologized Earthian humans mostly living in apartments in concrete jungles in large cities do not change their ways.

Assuming some anthropologists are right and the remote ancestors of humans today did live for many hundreds or thousands of years in a natural garden of sorts, hunting and gathering to make a living, what caused their good times to come to an end?

Did they displease their gods by doing something like eating a forbidden piece of fruit, or did they screw up some other way?

Most likely the hunter-gatherers were not banished from their good life in their garden because of violating an arbitrary godly commandment about not eating forbidden fruit. A more plausible answer is that they had to give it up because of having too much fun having sex making too many babies.

Despite having to work hard and long as farmers and ranchers to feed, house, and clothe themselves immediately after leaving their natural garden the former hunter-gatherers continued their overly-fecund sexual ways, producing by now 7.7 billion Earthian humans living aboard Spaceship Earth.

According to some versions and interpretations of the forbidden fruit story, the god was not arbitary, capricious or brutal.  He did not forbid humans to eat a real apple, and humans were not altogether to blame for taking a bite of the forbidden fruit. A snake seduced humans into eating a metaphorical apple, and the snake was a metaphorical devil, or some sort of evil. 

According to this interpretation, the god tried to protect humans from what has happened since then by metaphorically warning them about the consequences of unwise economic, social, psychological, sexual, political, and technological activity and policy-making.

An assumption of transactional analysis is that humans can learn to “see what is really going on” with themselves and others as they transact with one another socially and psychologically living their daily lives so as to increase their chances of living satisfactory lives, regardless of how not-OK their economic, social, psychological, sexual, and political worlds might be.

According to transactional analysis theory there are three naturally occurring generic life outcomes caused for humans:  winner, loser, and non-winner—caused by inherited physical characteristics and “messages” one is exposed to throughout life—and by the decisions humans accidentally make from earliest childhood about the messages that become quasi-permanent determinants of emotional, intellectual, and behavioral responses throughout their lives.

Whether one naturally introjects a winner, loser, or non-winner script is determined by naturally-occurring inevitable cause-effect chains one is accidentally exposed to in one’s environment and the accidental early decisions one makes before the age of eight about the messages. Some transactional analysts assume proportions of winner, loser, and non-winner scripts in the Earthian human population remain relatively constant from one generation to another.

A purpose of TA is to help individuals and groups insert new causes and decisions into natural cause-effect chains so as to increase the probabilities and proportions of winner scripts and outcomes in the populace.

Superceding a loser script with a winner script requires hard work but it can happen if a person somehow acquires new script messages powerful enough to control frustrating, debilitating, or harmartic script messages stored in subconscious memory. TA can provide people basic concepts and tools for attempting such a thing, requiring perhaps learning to use different ego states and transactional patterns and learning how to communicate in more effective ways psychologically and socially.

Superceding a loser script may entail changing the way one structures time, learning how to spend more time in work activity rather than playing psychological Games, or learning how to spend more time transacting intimately with others rather than spending time bullshitting, flirting, and doing rituals with others.

Using TA in some cases can help people gain more satisfaction from living, regardless of external circumstances, by enabling them to see more clearly what is going on in their lives and in their personal emotional, intellectual, and behavioral processes to make salutary changes, or in some cases by learning to accept one’s natural processes and script to focus on finding a niche in which they’re compatible.

On the other hand, a relevant question is whether serenity is possible for most humans in today’s world, beset as it is by global warming and climate change and by escalating tensions, agitations, and Game-playing among families, groups, and organizations around Earth.

TA never promised anyone any rose gardens, or eternal bliss in heaven, but it does advertise that it can help individuals, groups, and organizations become more ok, ok not only in terms of achieving goals but more ok transacting with others so as to live with more dignity, satisfaction, peace, and tranquility, based on contracts agreed to in Adult-Adult social transactions.

No one could blame you if you believe in tuning out TA and blogs such as this one. Maybe the best strategy for increasing your serenity is to tune out the world, burrowing up in your burrow as much as possible, reading no newspapers and not watching television, with no Internet. A problem however if you do this is boredom. Most humans have an innate need for stimulation, achievement, and recognition.

Regardless of what sort of cognitive structures humans might use, TA or whatever, sooner or later they have to take action, and this entails defining problems and goals, delineating alternatives, making recommendations, choosing things, trying new things, trial and error, over and over, till something works. 

1—What is the problem or opportunity?

2—What are the alternatives?

3—What do you recommend?

We live in precarious times that probably encourage people to play AIN’T IT AWFUL more than usual, a psychological Game in which Game players collect strokes for talking too much about the evils and troubles of world, positioning themselves as Victims of obsolete economic, religious, and political systems manipulated and exploited by greedy self-interested power-mad sociopathic oligarchs and leaders and their corrupt bought and paid for lackeys, especially lobbyists and politicians, however true that might be in reality.

By the same token, it will do no good for humans to passively pretend everything is just hunky-dory and swell, with everything coming up roses for everyone, living in small imaginary Candide-like best of all possible worlds, playing a psychological Game called GREENHOUSE by transactional analysts, in which players are rewarded with plastic strokes for making nonsensical positive cheerful upbeat comments about the environment and political, economic, social, sexual, and psychological states of affairs, regardless of how bleak they are in reality.

It seems to me the most dangerous psychological Game increasingly played today is IF IT WEREN’T FOR YOU, involving polarized agitated angry individuals, groups, and organizations who experience increasing insecurity and hopelessness causing them to blame others and find scapegoats for their plights, escalating their anger as they transmit threats from their angry Parent and Child ego states to the Parent and Child ego states of others, sometimes attacking others verbally and physically for their perceived misdeeds and beliefs. Some of the threats include the threat of international and civil war.

IF IT WEREN’T FOR YOU entails aggrieved aggressive humans psychologically believing that opposing competing parties maliciously and arbitrarily decided using free will to commit the harmful actions and deeds they are accused of committing, instead of realizing the others were caused by circumstances and script messages to do what they did just like the aggrieved aggressive people were. Getting rid of the other will not solve underlying problems such as poor family scripts, poor educational systems, poor religions, and poor economic and political policies and systems.

For more information regarding the use of Transactional Analysis  https://www.itaaworld.org/  to create better discussion groups and democratic processes read my book Born to Learn:  A Transactional Analysis of Human Learning.  https://www.amazon.com/Born-Learn-Transactional-Analysis-Learning/dp/0692584331 

For more information on how to co-construct better organizations and economic systems read my book   Business Voyages:  Mental Maps, Scripts, Schemata, and Tools for Co-Constructing Your Own Business Worlds   https://www.amazon.com/Business-Voyages-Schemata-Discovering-Co-Constructing/dp/1413480810

See my article “The Evolution of Spaceship Earth, Inc,”  https://blog.effectivelearning.net/the-evolution-of-spaceship-earth-inc/   for some management science ideas on how Earthian humans might eventually co-construct an economic system that is viable and satisfying for everyone aboard Spaceship Earth.  This entails Earthians never doing work that machines can do better, and delegating the day-to-day management of systems for scheduling, producing, and distributing the necessities of life to artificial intelligence programs and supercomputers.

This can be accomplished using linear programming based on the general algorithmic matrix algebra form

Max CjXj, s.t. AijXj ≤, =, or ≥ Bi

as explained in “The Evolution of Spaceship Earth, Inc.”   https://blog.effectivelearning.net/the-evolution-of-spaceship-earth-inc/  

Flying aboard an airliner about to land at night moving at four hundred miles an hour at thirty thousand feet with cloudy and rainy weather below, which would you rather have landing the plane, the plane’s computer system or the pilot and co-pilot looking out their windows with their hands clutching their steering wheels?

For details regarding my transactional analysis and management science qualifications see my RJS Academic Vita at https://www.effectivelearning.net/rjs-academic-vita.html.   

TO RESPOND:

As usual this month’s THE EARTHIAN FORUM  links and cites as SOURCES recent articles written and published by clear deep-thinking hard-hitting independent writers in various Internet publications on ecological, economic, social, sexual, political, religious, and military affairs around Spaceship Earth.  I generally agree with these writers about what is most relevant about Spaceship Earth states of affairs, but each of them brought up facts, analyses, conclusions, ideas, or perspectives that were new to me when I read them during the last thirty days or so, thereby teaching me something, which is why I included them in this issue of THE EARTHIAN FORUM.  

Some Game playing goes on in these articles, i.e., a writer is psychologically persecuting, rescuing, or victimizing someone, but it seems to me the writers are generally trying to paint accurate pictures of what is really going on economically, socially, sexually, psychologically, and politically. Unfortunately it seems to me one can build a good case that politicians spend most of their time playing psychological Games.

It’s not easy, impossible some say, to separate relevant from irrelevant focal points in order to comprehend global cases, systems, and processes, while being inundated with fake news and true facts of states of affairs generated daily around Spaceship Earth, made public on the Internet, and elsewhere, to see what’s really going on, using primarily inductive and analogical reasoning, based on probability, not deductive logic. Almost never can anyone prove with deductive logic that a general proposition about economic, social, psychological, sexual, or political states affairs is absolutely true. About the best humans can hope for is to develop consensual answers that are generally acceptable and true based on probability.

It’s better to be honestly wrong than dishonestly wrong, meaning it’s less harmful to tell someone something is true when you really do not know it’s not true than it is to tell someone something is true when you know for a fact it’s not true.

I am not sure which is most harmful: lying by commission or lying by omission. It seems to me most lying is lying by omission, people deliberately not telling people things they know are true that would be good for people to know. Lying by commission is deliberately dispensing fake news, telling people things you know are not true. Seems to me it’s getting harder for most people to know what’s true and what’s not, especially with a prolific Tweeter and consummate psychological Game-player like Donald J. Trump occupying the loftiest international leadership position around Spaceship Earth, thanks to about twenty-five percent of US eligible voters. It’s hard not to play LET’S YOU AND THEM FIGHT in these times, another psychological Game identified by transactional analysts.

If you have ideas on how to democratically discuss in Game-free ways economic and political problems and opportunities in something like the Ogeechee Economic Forum at  https://www.effectivelearning.net/ogeechee-economic-forum.html. go to our RESPONSES page and let us know about them at  https://www.effectivelearning.net/responses.html .

Feel free to respond with comments about any of the SOURCES listed below using our RESPONSES page; but please don’t make ad hominem attacks. Criticize the facts, data, evidence, reasoning, and conclusions in any of the articles any way you want to; but don’t slander the characteristics of the authors to illogically try to prove their arguments and conclusions are wrong and yours are right. Even Donald J. Trump is right about something ever now and then.

I don’t sell subscriptions or advertising or solicit donations for THE EARTHIAN FORUM, but I would like to sell more books. If you feel you’ve gained value from THE EARTHIAN FORUM and would like to reciprocate go to our Effective Learning Publications page and purchase one or more copies of my books at   https://www.effectivelearning.net/effective-learning-publications.html  .

Best wishes, RJS

SOURCES:

November 12, 2019

Say it aint so Joe

“Let us pause for a commercial,” by Dave Alport, INTREPID REPORT, http://www.intrepidreport.com/archives/28552?fbclid=IwAR0mnwmDa3GCJGymi7UtNuZMDY_8hLSnbdJYDHZ60ipChbrLNYAT9310mg0

November 12

Has been obvious for several weeks

“Why the billionaires love candidates such as Pete Butergeig,” by Eric Zuesse, INTREPID REPORT, http://www.intrepidreport.com/archives/28555

November 12

Say it aint so Joe

“Trump designates November as a de facto ‘white peoples’ month,” INTREPID REPORT, https://www.facebook.com/richard.stapleton.397

November 12

Sickening

“US staged coup d’etat in Bolivia,” by Stephen Lendman, INTREPID REPORT, http://www.intrepidreport.com/archives/28562

November 12

Another nail in the coffin of USian democracy

“Our point remains: PBS should broadcast impeachment hearings in primetime,” by Bill Moyers and Michael Winship, INTREPID REPORT, http://www.intrepidreport.com/archives/28565

November 11

Pathetic

“Who Wants to Destroy the World?” by Phil Torres, OneZeroMEDIUM.COM, https://onezero.medium.com/who-wants-to-destroy-the-world-e7571c66397 

November 11

US no longer the kind of country I thought I grew up in

“US coup plot to oust Bolivia’s Evo Morales,” by Stephen Landman, INTREPID REPORT, http://www.intrepidreport.com/archives/28539

November 11   

Let’s hope not

“The whole repo rigmarole underscores the sleight of hand on which our money and banking systems are built, and why it is time to change them. Banks do not really have the money they lend. To back their loans, they rely on their ability to borrow from the reserves of other banks, generated from their customers’ deposits; and if those banks withhold their deposits in the insatiable pursuit of higher profits, the borrowing banks must turn to the public purse for liquidity. The banks could not function without public support. They should be turned into public utilities, mandated to serve the interests of the people and the productive economy on which the public depends.”         Ellen Brown

“Is the run on the dollar due to panic or greed?, by Ellen Brown, INTREPID REPORT, http://www.intrepidreport.com/archives/28546.

November 11    

Another great idea by Bill Moyers and Michael Winship

“PBS, televise the impeachment hearings for all to see,” Michael Winship and Bill Moyers, INTREPID REPORT, http://www.intrepidreport.com/archives/28549.

November 10

Another significant spot-on hard-hitting article by Paul Street

“The Real Constitutional Crisis: The Constitution,” by Paul Street, COUNTERPUNCH, https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/11/08/the-real-constitutional-crisis-the-constitution/?fbclid=IwAR28Wt_zgNEXnMo8JmmAOmPVA2Je-6EH8_ZSj_ecG_pZKzJ1Za83cgwgdr8.

November 10

Now here is an interesting conspiracy theory for you, which seems more right than wrong to me. This fellow Pollock is the most tenacious and fearless truth teller I have heard in a while.

“USA Communist – China Nazi,” by Warren Pollock, GREG HUNTER’S USAWatchdog, https://usawatchdog.com/usa-communist-china-nazi-warren-pollock/?fbclid=IwAR0_PGprJA9CXyhuO7xQQWDg9oDk08njSSzahBWu5c9xG0-GQoo4dfRGoRo.

November 10

Interesting, hopefully true, but ominous if it is.

“Former Central Banker: ‘As A Young Man I Would Have Never Imagined This Would Be Our Destination,” by Eric Peters, CIO One River Asset Management, ZEROHEDGE, https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/former-central-banker-young-man-i-would-have-never-imagined-would-be-our-destination?fbclid=IwAR3_ruh-4wotesxcqGJXPiK68_0ISLUPddturk27M7dhIpbVAFdjZQbA9O8.

November 9  

If you say so

“It’s As if JPMorgan and Goldman Vanished…,” by Tyler Durden, ZEROHEDGE, https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/its-if-jpmorgan-and-goldman-vanished?fbclid=IwAR3gMvyVDavvQxV63uqkcyQe8d0au_wavUtSL1Vccim2maVsOSOxW0MnXpU.

November 9

More wise words from David Stockman

“David Stockman On How The Deep State Really Works,” by David Stockman, ZEROHEDGE, https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/david-stockman-how-deep-state-really-works?fbclid=IwAR2oq2bD4mMYV3KY5HFwDF_lSLeipbjjEH0ffX5TY5CKv6MVq2Hx131f3S4.

November 9

Ominous

“53 Million Americans Drowning in Cycle Of Low-Wage Work,” by Tyler Durden, ZEROHEDGE, https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/david-stockman-how-deep-state-really-works?fbclid=IwAR2oq2bD4mMYV3KY5HFwDF_lSLeipbjjEH0ffX5TY5CKv6MVq2Hx131f3S4.

November 9

Could not agree more. See my article “Why Large Powerful Political Parties are Evil,” at https://blog.effectivelearning.net/why-large-powerful-poli…/.

“Chris Hedges and Paul Street: The Problem is Not Trump. It is a Political System Dominated by Corporate Power and The Mandarins of the Two Major Political Parties,” by Chris Hedges and Paul Street, DANDELION SALAD, https://dandelionsalad.wordpress.com/2019/11/09/chris-hedges-and-paul-street-the-problem-is-not-trump-it-is-a-political-system-dominated-by-corporate-power-and-the-mandarins-of-the-two-major-political-parties/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DandelionSalad+%28Dandelion+Salad%29&fbclid=IwAR2_ScHPq4FEWeuXU6d8uHgCl1SWBZRrBbbk6G5iXoMtS0dgP9bN9HRFy-w.

November 9

Here’s a new one on me

“AP’s ‘robot journalists’ are writing their own stories now,” by Ross Miller, THE VERGE, https://www.theverge.com/2015/1/29/7939067/ap-journalism-automation-robots-financial-reporting?fbclid=IwAR1vyxrXDpTZ87qSWoZhfyiVv0XpEXdTaCTt616LZ3X2DCVz1AUG0bpxzzM.

November 9

Yuk

“’The World Could Look Like This’: Weather Channel Unveils Global Warming Apocalypse Propaganda,” by Tyler Durden, ZEROHEDGE, https://www.zerohedge.com/health/world-could-look-weather-channel-unveils-global-warming-apocalypse-propaganda?fbclid=IwAR0YAMP2d2iwhJlFHLunxpU9GCjaoidnFJca86nqf_Ozxu3jTuFyJoDLa-E.

November 9

What has this world come to?

“America’s Endless Wars: ‘At West Point, Graduation Day Felt More Like A Tragedy Than A Triumph,’” by US Army Major Danny Sjursen (ret.) via The Nation.com, ZEROHEDGE, https://www.zerohedge.com/political/americas-endless-wars-west-point-graduation-day-felt-more-tragedy-triumph?fbclid=IwAR1SFhScTuXeyehVvE2EWmAlksiY2qQbHT7b9X3Jgz5i0fvwlIRzeeB_Za0.

November 8

Now this will be an interesting case. About time this Harvard pettifogger got seriously challenged in court.

“Alan Dershowitz being sued by Jeffrey Epstein accusers’ lawyer for defamation,” by Priscilla DeGregory, Lee Brown, and Emily Saul, NEW YORK POST, https://nypost.com/2019/11/08/alan-dershowitz-being-sued-by-jeffrey-epstein-accusers-lawyer-for-defamation/?utm_source=facebook_sitebuttons&utm_medium=site+buttons&utm_campaign=site+buttons&fbclid=IwAR2kD4OLPAflnCjGUSd-DaNPTouFLV0p26LFp6PtooFmQnql8r2z0EM26Cc

October 31

Shows Tulsi Gabbard won the DNC CNN debates.

Shows a majority of US citizens of all persuasions and faiths might vote for Tulsi Gabbard for president.

Shows how the US two party system is ruining the country.

Richard John Stapleton, Writer, Editor, and Publisher, Effective Learning Report

“Why Large Powerful Political Parties Are Evil,” by Richard John Stapleton, EFFECTIVE LEARNING REPORT, https://blog.effectivelearning.net/why-large-powerful-political-parties-are-evil/?fbclid=IwAR16fQR7OgQipouoX6SsLupt1QEcU6Y1162FUKYhZ5YPxNpd5vB1H9ciVGQ

November 8

Another great article by Edward Curtin.  Most mass shooters we have had in the US have been “jokers.”

“What’s Joker’s joke? By Edward Curtin, INTREPID REPORT, http://www.intrepidreport.com/archives/28527

November 8

Another must read article by John Whitehead

“A new kind of tyranny: The global state’s war on those who speak truth to power,” by John W. Whitehead, INTREPID REPORT, http://www.intrepidreport.com/archives/28531

November 7

THE EARTHIAN FORUM — 12

THE EARTHIAN FORUM, Number Twelve, Effective Learning Publications, 32 East Main Street, Statesboro, Georgia, USA, October 2019

THE EARTHIAN FORUM is a digest of articles containing facts, analyses, perspectives, and recommendations concerned about existential states of affairs affecting all species of fauna and flora around Spaceship Earth. Recent articles written and published by writers in Internet publications on ecological, economic, social, political, religious, psychological and military states of affairs around Spaceship Earth are linked below as sources.

“ASK LESS WHAT YOUR NATION CAN DO FOR YOU—ASK MORE WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR SPACESHIP EARTH”

OR SO IT SEEMS TO ME RIGHT NOW

By Richard John Stapleton, PhD, CTA, Editor & Publisher

“Stop Believing In Free Will To Cause Peace Aboard Spaceship Earth,” by Richard John Stapleton, EFFECTIVE LEARNING REPORT, https://blog.effectivelearning.net/stop-believing-in-free-will-to-cause-peace-aboard-spaceship-earth/?fbclid=IwAR0ZGcdlCeQd1vqVUna6F9O_-cdHmP_znJVuHdJ67YgIn-sH6KFRZwRwOvI

November 7

Worth considering

“’Not QE’, Monetization, & ‘Definitely Asset Inflation’,” ECONOMICA, https://econimica.blogspot.com/?fbclid=IwAR2OE02O9eJWmluodnbsFcWdrXkZ1Uvwem1ZrZ5DOlgDlGLe0opCGRYVppw

November 6

But even if you have money in the bank when the crash hits what happens if your bank fails before you can buy something on the cheap?

“Crashing The Financial System For Fun And Profit,” by Bruce Wilds, BRUCEWILDSBLOGSPOT.COM, https://brucewilds.blogspot.com/2019/11/crashing-financial-system-for-fun-and.html?fbclid=IwAR3OECqB2bsPf-T93Yq7u00xjLyc9kaKZuNlubCuQy3H9bd2meN7EL3ufL8.

November 6

So what. It’s common sense. Most likely if present trends continue, the human species around Earth will become extinct. Reducing the Earthian human population can be done peacefully over several generations, with more people naturally dying than being born. A rule such as no more than one child per female would do it. What is so horrible about that?

See my article “The Evolution of Spaceship Earth, Inc.” for some management science ideas on how this might peacefully happen at https://www.effectivelearning.net/spaceship-earth–inc..html.

“45 Population-Control Quotes That Expose The Elites’ Plan to Cut The Number Of People On The Planet,” by Michael Snyder, THEMOSTIMPORTANTNEWS.COM, http://themostimportantnews.com/archives/45-population-control-quotes-that-prove-the-elite-really-do-want-to-reduce-the-number-of-people-on-the-planet

November 5

Pathetic

“Trump to small farmers: Get lost,” by Jim Hightower, INTREPID REPORT, http://www.intrepidreport.com/archives/28495

November 5

Say it aint so Joe

“Fascist pro-nuke assault on anti-bailout referendum headed to Ohio Supreme Court,” by Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Waserman, INTREPID REPORT, http://www.intrepidreport.com/archives/28497?fbclid=IwAR1BTXZZMc1jWMgOEsm91LKO4u_gtncwP6yUMc3f9Xkv3CJowMIZ-Z9w0Fs

November 5

If something like this can be done for $500 billion then it should be done ASAP.

“These U.N. Climate Scientists Think They Can Halt Global Warming for $300 billion,” by Adam Majendie and Pratik Parlia, Bloomberg, TIME.COM, https://time.com/5709100/halt-climate-change-300-billion/?fbclid=IwAR2ZGg-Q2J5hy88DvS-OhOw__YjyfRKWn1fzg-smuYyHDtFh0BrNwMRX98I

November 4

A well written story, not what you might expect.

“American Capitalism is Brutal. You Can Trace That to the Plantation,” by Matthew Desmond, NYTIMES.COM, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/slavery-capitalism.html?smid=fb-share&fbclid=IwAR3Jj1AH2F0a6rawhKAwtZbqu4FcIOaw3ZbVjPODmEC7H7UKFZW0G-7fBRI

November 4

And every spring gets a little quieter.

“The Writing of ‘Silent Spring’,” by Maria Popova, Brain Pickings, GETPOCKET.COM, https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-writing-of-silent-spring-rachel-carson-and-the-culture-shifting-courage-to-speak-inconvenient?utm_source=pocket-newtab%3Futm_source%3Dfbsynd&fbclid=IwAR3w4CU5fUBvHs9iAESXzM9WMQ5bu7oN4L1P2lQZvElqSWDnZgY47qHi3qI

November 3

But money did not talk loud enough for it.

“69 years ago, a president pitches his idea for national health care,” by Howard Markel, PBS.ORG, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/november-19-1945-harry-truman-calls-national-health-insurance-program?fbclid=IwAR16aCNXkpCzaRSdI-2UsR21zIy7JERpxx5bWEovJizzJZpVZuVfg8hSTwc

November 3

And it’s been going on for several centuries. Cannot be cured overnight. Earthian humans have got to get smarter about this.

“Over-population is the real cause of climate change – it’s killing us all off,” by Joe Barry, CHURCHANDSTATE.ORG, http://churchandstate.org.uk/2016/05/over-population-is-the-real-cause-of-climate-change-its-killing-us-all-off/?fbclid=IwAR0Wn0U_JI3rezXX-mzBGTKT5JsKjdyj6tUDHgOvWBfULQ7c85fPxvgepmU

November 3

Warning. This story contains opinion trotted out as fact, not fake news per se, and probably qualifies as a conspiracy theory. Generally it’s a right wing extreme defense of free enterprise. The author asserts everything would be just fine if central bankers would just leave the wonderful capitalist economic system alone, not arguing there were would not be recessions and depressions, and much suffering caused by them, but making a case the suffering would be less than what is coming when the whole charade created by government intervention comes crashing down, like the sky falling. No way to prove any of this, but there is a grain of truth in it here and there. Fact is nobody knows what will happen any time soon. Unfortunately if Earthian human history does repeat there will be hell to pay by a sizeable percentage of the Earthian human population too soon. Carpe diem!

“The Federal Reserve Is A Barbarous Relic,” by MN Gordon, ZEROHEDGE, https://www.zerohedge.com/economics/federal-reserve-barbarous-relic?fbclid=IwAR13TJ5w2H4C8oeNdqBLHRj0BX8kAIqJXMPpigIpW_U_xVXurA0RS_NmIX8

November 3

Give the devil his due on this one.

“Assad Calls Trump ‘Best US President Ever’ for ‘TransparEncy’ of Real US Motives,” by Tyler Durden, ZEROHEDGE, https://www.zerohedge.com/political/assad-calls-trump-best-us-president-ever-not-concealing-reality-us-action-abroad?fbclid=IwAR2E0zA1jcaPOY5edkVpWqbnXXm2Fr4RSLwklR3_8hH9IBmeFVU_oj6DJTM

November 1    

A US and UK atrocity

“’All of us are in danger’: John Pilger delivers warning from Julian Assange,” by John Pilger, U-TUBE.COM, https://www.zerohedge.com/political/assad-calls-trump-best-us-president-ever-not-concealing-reality-us-action-abroad?fbclid=IwAR2E0zA1jcaPOY5edkVpWqbnXXm2Fr4RSLwklR3_8hH9IBmeFVU_oj6DJTM

November 1    

Harder for a rich man to get into heaven than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle? This one might make it.

“Billionaire Marc Benioff: Capitalism has ‘led to horrifying inequality’ and must be fixed,” by Catharine Clifford, CNBC.COM, https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/14/marc-benioff-capitalism-led-to-horrifying-inequality-must-be-fixed.html?__source=sharebar%7Cfacebook&par=sharebar&fbclid=IwAR37cGt6Yo9csmuKO-KUXm-cJwlQM36zuSmMCDf2unoFANNQjXknTLmjBo8

November 1   

A great article by a great candidate

“In Defense of Tulsi Gabbard,” by Maj. Danny Sjursen, TRUTHDIG.COM, https://www.truthdig.com/articles/in-defense-of-tulsi-gabbard/

November 1   

How the Internet evolved. Well worth a read.

“How the Internet lost its soul,” by Janet Abbate, The Washington Post, GREENWICHTIME.COM, https://www.greenwichtime.com/opinion/article/How-the-Internet-lost-its-soul-14775213.php?utm_campaign=CMS+Sharing+Tools+%28Desktop%29&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral&fbclid=IwAR0VRqUaAmM-wk9pHSGQl1BxZbgzb1eoiCbWitMb9vJC7fOouztfzackzqs

November 1  

Remember Madlyn Albright? Secretary of State under Clinton, a former college professor who smarted off one day, “What good does it do to have this beautiful military if you never use it?” Well we should never have had this beautiful military in the first place, but if we had to have it we should not have used it. We were never threatened by a serious enemy. Part of the problem was the Great Depression taught the US how to avoid depressions. WWII solved the Great Depression by getting USians back to full employment killing people overseas and making tanks, airplanes, ships, ammunition, bombs, and what have you in US factories, via Ruby the Riveter who learned how to do man’s work in US factories while US men were making the world safe for democracy fighting Germans and Japanese in their countries. Assuming it was necessary for the US to enter WWII the US should have kicked its warmaking addiction as soon as WWII ended and developed a peacemaking economy, assuming such a thing is possible under capitalism, an economic system that requires halloween-like vampire nations to periodically suck blood from victim nations to stay alive longer than the rest. If the US had really wanted to be a peaceful nation the Korean War, Vietnam, and the Middle East wars would not have happened. On the other hand was it really necessary to do all this warfighting to capture enough oil to keep the us economy powered and USians rolling around in the US in cars, trucks, tractors, Harley Davidson motorcycles and what have you, making USians much richer than other folks around Spaceship Earth, for a while after WWII at least?

“The real basis for impeachment? Not phone calls but murder…,” by Jane Stillwater, INTREPID REPORT, http://www.intrepidreport.com/archives/28445

November 1  

Another spot on article by Jake Johnson. Pretty much the same thing happened to retired faculty in the University system of Georgia health plan about four years ago when they were notified they were fortunate to be having more choices from now on. The result has been more and more costs for prescription drugs and other things. Overall health care costs for insurance and copays went up thousands of dollars per year for most retirees. Yes the retirees have more freedom of choice but so what if their costs and frustrations are greater? Buttegeig, Biden, and all the other Washington politicians bought and paid for by big pharma be damned. Profit making healthcare does not work for consumers. Healthcare is a natural monopoly. If the industry is not regulated as a monopoly by the government resources will inevitably be mismanaged and costs will not be controlled to benefit consumers. Providers will not be able to resist the temptations they will have to gouge people. Free enterprise is best in some industries, but not in this one, where consumers have to buy the product at any price or die or become maimed or chronically impaired. See my article “Why Healthcare Should be Managed as a Natural Monopoly,” at http://www.intrepidreport.com/archives/21752.

Basically the federal government needs to regulate the healthcare industry like electricity is now regulated by states, setting equitable rates and prices based on return on investment criteria using mathematical processes, the only way in this industry to minimize cost for consumers and provide fair returns for producers.

For sure infinitely greedy oligarchs like Bezos will not minimize healthcare costs for their employees. What do you want to do, impoverish everyone but the elite rich who know how to game the system, for whom health care costs are trivial for them personally?

“’We Need Medicare for All’, Progressives condemn Bezos decision to shift more health insurance dosts onto Washington Post staffers,” by Jake Johnson, INTREPID REPORT, http://www.intrepidreport.com/archives/28467.

October 31

Can you believe this? Money is so worthless as an investment you have to pay a bank in Denmark to allow you to deposit your money in their bank. How long will it be before US banks do this?

“World record in negative rates has bankers testing no-man’s land,” THE BUSINES TIMES, https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/banking-finance/world-record-in-negative-rates-has-bankers-testing-no-mans-land

October 30

Another truthful right on hard-hitting article by Paul Street, except he left out that Tulsi Gabbard won the CNN DN C debates. See my article “Why large powerful political parties are evil” to set this matter straight at https://blog.effectivelearning.net/why-large-powerful-pol…/….

“Money Talks, Bullshit Walks on Cable News,” by Paul Street, COUNTERPUNCH, https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/10/30/money-talks-bullshit-walks-on-cable-news/?fbclid=IwAR3-gEVxP_khMhNzzyOVVw6z0t7SXP71vHYtFdd5nJPqoY1Mow_PVo0HDdQ

October 30

Not good. This is fascism pure and simple. Scary

“Vowing Nationwide Crackdown, Trump Touts More Militarized US Police,” by Jake Johnson, TROUTHOUT, https://truthout.org/articles/vowing-nationwide-crackdown-trump-touts-more-militarized-us-police/?utm_source=sharebuttons&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=mashshare&fbclid=IwAR3x7WcR9OBVQCLbmMpPM1I1In63i1PeM1WeO4rdrvePrwx9I7Iqj1FtmuY

October 30

Apparently we need a USian Magna Carta

“Trump Says the President is Above the Law. Don’t Let This Doctrine Stand,” by Sasha Abramsky, TROUTHOUT, https://truthout.org/articles/trump-says-the-president-is-above-the-law-dont-let-this-doctrine-stand/?utm_source=sharebuttons&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=mashshare&fbclid=IwAR0N0bKoYUpfeaGfDAIoDf5YqJNj47OTE5BwXjTTMBUpJC9oJiIu9I5CD7Y

October 29

Interesting

“Three things you didn’t know about the crash of 1929,” by Simon Black, SOVEREIGNMAN.COM, https://www.sovereignman.com/investing/three-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-crash-of-1929-26123/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=website_share&fbclid=IwAR0Wuz4az4F6wyl9qCt8r5PoDxP9_vNaBBUm9XCXaXgpGwQJrqO4qYa4MmQ

October 29

Excellent points. Been saying the same things myself since the Reagan voodoo economics days of the 1980s.

“Warning! Interest Rates, Inflation, and Debt Do Matter,” by Bruce Wilds, BRUCEWILDSBLOGSPOT.COM, https://brucewilds.blogspot.com/2019/10/warning-interest-rates-inflation-and.html?fbclid=IwAR3sHOxpEQ1ppN1M4EYJBpqDZrq8DmZGUnp53NJGK8P3z_wiLAKWE9K5NQg

October 29

Excellent article. Legalize and tax all drugs and then control them, and get rid of not only street peddlers but cartel lords.

“The Evil of the Drug War – The Future of Freedom Foundation,” by Jacob G. Hornberger, THEFUTUREOFFREEDOMFOUNDATION.ORG, https://www.fff.org/2019/10/28/the-evil-of-the-drug-war/?fbclid=IwAR39ULXrJ0m1X00BVWyxaj26HJS24plI_rj0t9_-P7iod0I8613kLqcPMWM

October 27

The same story everywhere?

“Over 1 Million Chileans Take to the Streets to Demand Political Reforms, Change to Country’s Neoliberal Economic System,” by Eoin Higgins, COMMONDREAMS.ORG, https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/10/26/over-1-million-chileans-take-streets-demand-political-reforms-change-countrys?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR035pDiMW8mpA5B0Fy93VOu_lkgYSHUO1JV1JQs7ZoyIH88-o0U9EQk5ok

October 27

Right on

“Tulsi Nails it on National TV…, US Regime-Change Wars,” by Finian Cunningham, STRATEGIC-CULTURE.ORG, https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2019/10/18/tulsi-nails-national-tv-us-regime-change-wars/?fbclid=IwAR3EpAuwXP6s103uGzTBmLRryXR5xPGjqE6zbXT5GbdiSdoF_T8qiI9Kmeo

October 27

Right on

“Edward Snowden and Turnkey Tyranny,” by W. J. Astore, BRACINGVIEWS.ORG, https://bracingviews.com/2019/10/26/edward-snowden-and-turnkey-tyranny/?fbclid=IwAR0AorABjO7uRoiPuHJQf33kj4iB2pjPne8UHaH7YAxs-eE0EN-5j3heXjE

October 27

Yuk

“California Fires Spark Massive Mandatory Evacuations; Wineries Burn As Winds Hit 93 MPH,” by Tyler Durden, ZEROHEDGE.ORG, https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/california-fires-spark-mandatory-evacuations-wineries-burn-winds-hit-93-mph?fbclid=IwAR1moULX7dVYVLCV3cwz-DJv2v4Z8QlvIFGrMfhwoqwZ-MkN61JmFel_8zk

October 26

Is this 2008 all over again and they’re not telling us about it yet?

“Fed Ups Its Wall Street Bailout to $690 Billion a Week as Media Snoozes,” by Pam Martens and Russ Martens, WALLSTREETONPARADE.COM, https://wallstreetonparade.com/2019/10/fed-ups-its-wall-street-bailout-to-690-billion-a-week-as-media-snoozes/?fbclid=IwAR0LXm1HxJ01pzQuWk-YFZKAxJcpJz_vjiRK6P1Uoxgfkx0HgYju-tB5Oig

October 26

Yes, definitely. I have been saying so since 2004 on my FreeFairProgressParty page at https://www.effectivelearning.net/freefairprogressparty.html

“Is it Time to Throw Out Both Democrats and Republicans?” by Peter Gemma, INTELLECTUALTAKEOUT.ORG, https://www.intellectualtakeout.org/blog/it-time-throw-out-both-democrats-and-republicans?fbclid=IwAR3udQyXGS5oi2R2rB3UZBrllg4IpseGzDFln9LgYoPeP0C4TaCozSP32I8

October 26

What the hades is going on over there?

“The United States, Turkey and the SDF: The Internal War Between Syria’s Enemies,” by Frederico Pieraccini, STRATEGIC-CULTURE.ORG, https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2019/10/25/the-united-states-turkey-and-the-sdf-the-internal-war-between-syrias-enemies/?fbclid=IwAR2B6xIDee2NEsPDwcowcxzEODfAlnVOO6YYHO8EQ2133cFPE3pRvaLRxkU

October 26

Sick. It seems they’ve robbed Peter (such as the Social Security system surpluses) to pay Paul as much as they can internally, so now the Fed and the people have to caugh up more to buy the debt. How long can this go on? Before tax rates have to be raised back to where they were in 1980 and military expenditures are cut dramatically? Or the debt is repudiated? Or hyperinflation is ignited by the privately owned Federal Reserve System punching digital funny money into their computers approaching infinity to purchase treasury bills and notes?

“Putting Federal Debt in Perspective Against those Responsible in the Future,” ECONOMICA, https://econimica.blogspot.com/2019/10/putting-federal-debt-in-perspective.html?fbclid=IwAR3tBVjVvEFlGd0ZC2S_M-QKr_itHhXG0D4F0doMvncQCLdCL-vll3z3BVI

October 26

Better than a .5 probability this is true it seems to me.

“Zombieland,” by Sven Henrich, NORTHMANTRADER.COM, https://northmantrader.com/2019/10/26/zombieland/?fbclid=IwAR0iVNZMV9tvJpna-VillcW1BrEjnRwmoBwPxZ-7Y9bbgOiwDQWAXCDiNzM

October 23

Here’s what’s wrong with US politics, pay to play from the git go. To win a primary you’ve got to solicit big money, aka bribes, or be a billionaire and fund your own campaign like Trump did at first.

“Corporate America freaks out over Elizebeth Warren,” by Ben White, POLITICO.COM, https://www.politico.com/news/2019/10/23/elizabeth-warren-corporate-america-055142?fbclid=IwAR0ItAYZwGMvTn3SPo7vI1jmTZVPz8FtOU4rnzec3xqd7uIy8ylDfGRSpuQ

October 23

Sanders is probably still the best bet for we the people, but the corrupt DNC, caring only for their own interests, will probably sabotage him again if he gains traction again.

“Noam Chomsky: Bernie Sanders is Not a Radical, He Has Mass Support for Positions on Healthcare and Taxes,” DEMOCRACYNOW.ORG, https://www.democracynow.org/2016/4/27/noam_chomsky_bernie_sanders_is_not?fbclid=IwAR3XQNKfFY_KX4HrTzLcQt3-yGiKeS2IP1tKfNCIlXZnfhgRWOSfZ65dl2g

October 22

Here’s why I voted for Jill Stein in 2016.

“Jill Stein Responds to Hillary Clinton’s Russian Asset Smear: ‘A Sick Era of McCarthyism,” U-TUBE.COM, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY5KIcK2iug&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3K92YArgY5SIDvRBIuSv7FSpm9B4UKKJtZ704l2Z8hoZ6elZ2zDCWq8c8

October 21

Are all but Sanders, Gabbard, and Yang bought and paid for by Big Pharma?  Seems like it to me.

“Disingenuous Attacks on Medicare for All Distract from Cost of a Broken System,” by Amy Goodwin and Juan Gonzales, Democracy Now, TRUTHOUT.ORG, https://truthout.org/video/disingenuous-attacks-on-medicare-for-all-distract-from-cost-of-a-broken-system/?utm_source=sharebuttons&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=mashshare&fbclid=IwAR3irVWRD4bTYq6XbWxPtEIOb26itsCSGstr7Fv75iG6ehznNeQ9-HTtt4M

October 21

Seems like something new that might help.

“A UN Treaty Guarantees Youth Rights Everywhere on Earth – Except the US,” by Jessica Taft, TRUTHOUT.ORG, https://truthout.org/articles/a-un-treaty-guarantees-youth-rights-everywhere-on-earth-except-the-us/?utm_source=sharebuttons&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=mashshare&fbclid=IwAR2i8UCI5SZZ_tYcnLZWhd5IP3HIhn-bx_tLgAIOjQ9yc9jw0tzC8hYIJeA

October 21

Some good ideas here.

“Why Extinction Rebellion Might Succeed – and in Many Ways Already Has,” by Diana Stuart, TRUTHOUT.ORG, https://truthout.org/articles/why-extinction-rebellion-might-succeed-and-in-many-ways-already-has/?utm_source=sharebuttons&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=mashshare&fbclid=IwAR2g5rkz_r3MSLsRAP5_axAjr6vogWXouTp29CQxO1p2LxHv-KfYZ6g28bE

October 21

Good economic overview by Nomi Prins

“The Federal Reserve Was Set Up to Provide Capital to Largest Wall Street Banks,” by Laura Flanders, TRUTHOUT.ORG, https://truthout.org/articles/the-federal-reserve-was-set-up-to-provide-capital-to-largest-wall-street-banks/?utm_source=sharebuttons&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=mashshare&fbclid=IwAR06Ez4TutUSWMIEC-ej-t-1ZnOpI9wj0fvsJ8F9yMjiiR6j4a91H5GTC7c

October 21

The Tories and their followers made a mistake. They should have voted to remain in the EU. What Earthian humans need is an even broader EU, an Earthian Union, to combat global warming and climate change, to stop Earthian extinctions of fauna and flora, probably also including sooner or later the human species, at the rate states of affairs are deteriorating around Spaceship Earth.

“British Parliament Forces Boris Johnson to Request Another Brexit Delay,” by Sasha Abramsky, TRUTHOUT.ORG, https://truthout.org/articles/british-parliament-forces-boris-johnson-to-request-another-brexit-delay/?utm_source=sharebuttons&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=mashshare&fbclid=IwAR3egqQvPxW80TvYESlP9jkGi7LUdpodFN1rxx2xkM1dZT7-Of_vEGZK1JM

October 21

Ominous. Even Siberia is burning.

“Global Wildfires Are Raging, Leaving Long-Lasting Damage,” by Robert Walker, TROUTHOUT.ORT, https://truthout.org/articles/global-wildfires-are-raging-leaving-long-lasting-damage/?utm_source=sharebuttons&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=mashshare&fbclid=IwAR3u-E3JZZo-a182gbamthiGZeuOYo4aKq7yXF5nESvlYy-5Rrt5-hik-TU

October 20

Here is a well-said explanation of what it means to call someone a “Russian asset” without evidence, a despicable defamatory low blow political smear job, especially when said with a merry smile.

“’Russian Asset’ is a Meaningless Noise War Pigs Make With Their Face Holes,” by Caitlin Johnstone, MEDIUM.COM, https://medium.com/@caityjohnstone/russian-asset-is-a-meaningless-noise-war-pigs-make-with-their-face-holes-c883685ad4c

September 16

Now here is an interesting post, showing clearly something is wrong with political reporting in MSM and CNN land (Mainstream Media), and in DNC land.  According to this poll Tulsi Gabbard won the sixth DNC debate handily with forty percent of the vote, far head of the next best, Yang, with about twenty percent.  Biden and the rest got less that seven percent each.  Gabbard also won another such debate I saw with about the same results as this one. Yet there has been no mention of this I have seen in MSM.  It’s not that MSM publishes fake news so much by comission; apparently they mainly publish fake news by omission.  According to MSM and the DNC Tulsi Gabbard is not a serious Democrat candidate. Are these Drudge Report Internet polls anomalies?  Or what?

“**DRUDGE POLL** WHO WON THE SIXTH DEM DEBATE? https://poll.fm/10434126/results?msg=voted&fbclid=IwAR1GYBal2hYlbhgdtoiOUqAUqOMNCvphjKn-nWjq2Z5-OhFtVzq4P-GjscM

September 16

Go Tulsi and Yang You-Tube Video

October 11

Another nail in the coffin.

“Temperatures in Denver dropped 64 degrees in less than 24 hours, setting a record,” by Lauren M. Johnson, CNN, https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/10/us/denver-temperature-record-trnd/index.html?fbclid=IwAR1RvLQ5sewVwM47R4AFChjk6GqZcwIjaQMThGK5wHOMDHke-nA6AT8odyo

October 11

Here’s a sophisticated video by a talented presenter taking advantage of state of the art facilities and computer technology, maybe the best I have seen, telling and showing you how your brain works. Well worth a watch and listen for about twenty minutes.

“Your brain hallucinates your conscious reality,” by Anil Seth, YOU TUBE, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyu7v7nWzfo&fbclid=IwAR0eC80ZLFo2_EvH8a2pSnvnmCdrGnvErV5bZvlUkooazV7ifWzlq7P6SxE

October 9

2050 or 2100? Does it matter?

“Rising Sea Levels Threaten Global Economy,” BLOOMBERG, https://sponsored.bloomberg.com/news/sponsors/zurich/threat-to-infrastructure-means-businesses-must-prepare-to-navigate-rising-seas/?adv=6712&prx_t=BkkFAAAAAAFEANA&fbclid=IwAR1ezu7sC9BtZnzFyMfcw4-JyyDlJYg1flcd3apPPchUHr-nXl5XcmLXMq8.

October 6

Sad to say a major problem is what would all those millions of military employees do if the US stopped being a warmaking economy?

“Military Keynesianism Marches On,” by Joan Roelofs, COUNTERPUNCH, https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/10/03/military-keynesianism-marches-on/?fbclid=IwAR3pIa6mgOeN8LlR5BdGrEHN8XH9mhmFahnVtPuQmWTbKQlz-aLm76GO3gE.

October 4

Acceptance my foot. They used him to assert their family scripts. To learn about the significance of family scripts in political states of affairs, read my book Born to Learn: A Transactional Analysis of Human Learning at www.effectivelearning.net.

“The Dangerous Acceptance of Donald Trump,” by Adam Gopnik, THE NEW YORKER, https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-dangerous-acceptance-of-donald-trump?mbid=social_facebook_aud_dev_kwjunsub-the-dangerous-acceptance-of-donald-trump&kwp_0=234406&fbclid=IwAR332mUsHDUa2EOks1dy2zUtWOCPoKMLCAP8QoSsmRq94X7SAx_yfQZh-o8.

October 1

Gabbard was probably the smartest and most truthful candidate in the DNC debates, now marginalized because of DNC rules and pork barrel politics. She won a Drudge Report poll I saw after one of the debates she was in that showed she won hands down, about forty percent of the total votes of eighteen thousand or so cast. This is DNC “democracy” in action, playing the psychological Game MOTHER KNOWS BEST, and to hell with the truth, get the man, in this case, you want, Biden, to keep everybody in Washington and throughout the Deep State in the US employed and well fed, especially DNC hangers-on, with better than average income increases. Sad state of affairs.

“Tulsi Gabbard Suggests Government is Run By A ‘Small Group of Political Elite’,” by Joe Martino, COLLECTIVE EVOLUTION, https://www.collective-evolution.com/2019/09/10/news-tulsi-gabbard-suggests-government-is-run-by-a-small-group-of-political-elite/?fbclid=IwAR2Y8BIp9omH28-0d683RCyGigAl5hIlY7m0uPohsXClWpCLmeOtK0hz7FA.

September 24

An interesting proposition.  Would solve a lot of problems.

“’Billionaires Shouldn’t Exist’: Bernie Sanders Proposes Tax To Cut Billionaire Wealth in Half,” by Tyler Durden, ZEROHEDGE, https://www.zerohedge.com/political/billionaires-shouldnt-exist-bernie-sanders-rolls-out-super-aggressive-tax-plan?fbclid=IwAR1tFGWKEaEhByemYxWNsILRzad2xptdEutz5kq8PED6HVOwzW6fe8xQv_0.

September 23

Here is another well researched, informative, and timely article by Courtenay Barnett, an international lawyer, who unfortunately points out the US by and large ignores international law.

“America Confronts Iran: History of US-Iran Relations and the Rule of Law,” by Courtenay Barnett, GLOBAL RESEARCH, https://www.globalresearch.ca/what-law-who-breached-us-iran-west/5689912.

Feel free to forward, share, post, print, or otherwise circulate The Earthian Forum any way you see fit to all Earthians.  

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RJS,  Writer, Editor & Publisher

WHY LARGE POWERFUL POLITICAL PARTIES ARE EVIL

By Richard John Stapleton

This essay shows with compelling evidence and analysis that Tulsi Gabbard won the CNN DNC primary debates by a large margin in the eyes of viewers of the debates.

Unfortunately the DNC establishment, CNN, and MSM (Mainstream Media) hid the fact. This is a classic example of MSM creating fake news by lying by omission.

Tulsi Gabbard would be the “frontrunner” in the eyes all US citizens for the 2020 ellection, if only the US had a truly democratic unrigged system.

I posted on my Facebook page a Drudge Report poll October 16, 2019 showing Tulsi Gabbard handily won the sixth Democratic National Committee primary debate televised by CNN, garnering 40 percent of some 47,000 votes clicked in by respondents at that time, which by today October 22 has grown to 207,726 votes clicked in for this poll, of which Tulsi Gabbard garnered 38 percent of the total votes in the last count, Yang being second with 18 percent, Buttigieg being third with 12 percent, Warren being fourth with 7 percent, Klobuchar being fifth with 6 percent, Biden being sixth with 5 percent, Sanders and Steyer being tied with 4 percent each, O’Rourke had 2 percent, Harris 1 percent, Castro 1 percent, Booker 1 percent.  These percentage ranks changed very little from October 16 to now October 22. The poll was programmed in such a way that no respondent could vote more than one time. I tried to vote twice after deciding to cast another vote for another candidate in addition to the one I had already voted for. The program would not accept the click and reminded me I had already voted, indicating the process was legit.   

The poll by POLL.FM was titled  “**DRUDGE POLL** WHO WON THE SIXTH DEM DEBATE?” and was posted posted at https://poll.fm/10434126/results?msg=voted&fbclid=IwAR1vzidQjjgTJYvlSGY8D3N4-UUJFYx7g8m9ElyLRuDvGhtRQEe7Njf5W0M.

You can also find today similar results reported for the fourth DNC debate by the Daily Caller at https://dailycaller.com/2019/10/15/drudge-poll-winner-fourth-debates/.

I included the following comment with my Drudge Report poll post where it says Say Something on my Facebook page October 16 shortly after seeing the DR poll results.

“Now here is an interesting post, showing clearly something is wrong with political reporting in MSM (Mainstream Media), and in CNN and DNC land. According to this poll Tulsi Gabbard won the sixth DNC debate handily with forty percent of the vote, far ahead of the next best, Yang, with about twenty percent. Biden and the rest got less than seven percent each. Gabbard also won another DR poll about another CNN debate I saw s month or so ago with about the same results as this one, which unfortunately I did not post on my Facebook page.

“Yet there has been no mention of this I have seen in MSM, which does not say much considering I rarely watch or read MSM, but my wife does and she has not said anything to me about seeing or hearing any news about Gabbard handily winning the DNC CNN debates. Apparently it’s not that MSM publishes fake news so much by commission; apparently they primarily publish fake news by omission. According to MSM, CNN and the DNC Tulsi Gabbard is not a serious Democrat candidate. Are these Drudge Report Internet polls anomalies? Or what?”

To which I received the following post in response on my Facebook page.

“Why would anybody even consider paying any attention to Drudge on the Democratic debate? Like listening to what a dog has to say about a cat beauty contest, run by cats, for cats.”

To which I responded with:

“There have been 205,918 Total Votes cast in this poll so far. Are you saying this is irrelevant? Or that everything posted on the Drudge Report is fake news? i watched the debate on CNN, and i think Tulsi and Yang were the smartest and the best. Unfortunately they have little chance of being nominated given the way “democracy” works in the US. On the other hand, I voted for Steyer, probably a mistake.”

Which prompted this response:

“The purpose of the Drudge Report is to present fake news. Sometimes this goal is best served by telling the truth but this does not make them a trustworthy source. About a (sic) reliable as DT’s tweets. And everybody knows you solicit any result you want in a poll.”

Which prompted this response from me:

“Wrong in your first sentence. Basically the Drudge Report is an aggregator. It links articles from all over, the New York Times. Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and Internet blogs nobody ever heard of, such as my Effective Learning Report. Yes, it’s basically a tabloid type thing primarily designed to attract casual readers and thinkers, but some of the shit linked is pretty good, overall giving any reader one of the best general pictures they could find free in a hurry of what is going on in the minds of all Earthian humans right now, of all persuasions and faiths, caused by hundreds of publication sources that are linked, MSM or social media, just by reading their headlines. Who needs a “trustworthy” source? If you need a “trustworthy” source that means you cannot think for yourself, and are being indoctrinated, being unable to figure out what is fake and what is not. Of course all the responses were solicited or the Drudge Report would not have gone to the trouble to make this voting process available. Did they try to manipulate people into voting as they did? Hell no. The Drudge Report is less contaminated by bias and prejudice than MSM since they are not dependent on charging customers for subscriptions. I have never paid the Drudge Report a cent for the information I have received from them. Don’t believe me, ask Google “how many hits does the Drudge Report get per day?””

Which elicited this response:

“Good topic for next time I can make The Ogeechee Economic Forum.”

And then this from me:

“Great. See You There.”

The Ogreechee Economic Forum is a Game-Free group I moderate the third Saturday of the month at 11-12 a.m. at the Eagle Creek Brewing Company in my hometown, Statesboro, Georgia, USA. For details about the forum go here https://www.effectivelearning.net/ogeechee-economic-forum.html.

There is nothing like face-to-face political discussions in small groups to get to the truth of the matter. You can often tell by looking at the faces of people in a group when they are lying and telling the truth. These truthful body language signals are not as obvious in mass media. On the other hand, unfortunately despite emailing to one hundred or more people within driving distance of Statesboro inviting them to the Ogeechee Economic Forum meetings, and inviting them to invite their friends, most people are not interested. Having moderated the forum about a year once a month by now, no more than three participants have shown up for any meeting. Unfortunately this small group is like most groups and organizations; we are mostly preaching to our own choir. Almost all the participants have been well-educated relatively intelligent relatively unprejudiced white males. In order for face-to-face groups such as this one to produce significant learning you need participants of all persuasions, faiths, sexes, ages and races in the group to generate dialectical give and take Adult-Adult ego state transactions that can produce consensual answers capable of generating peaceful life-sustaining policies and processes. Unfortunately, based on my experience trying to establish a Game-free open free fair face-to-face Adult-Adult ego state economic and political discussion group in my town, it appears to me a good bet is that most Earthian humans are too apathetic or too afraid to engage in such groups. One Ogeechee Economic Forum participant said most humans do not have psychological permission to discuss economic and political problems in public, being afraid their bosses and cohorts in various groups, primarily at work, will “talk down to them” about participating in such activity.

Having gained satisfaction from the above Facebook exchange about Tulsi Gabbard on my Facebook page with one of the participants in the Ogeechee Economic Forum, I decided to venture forth with some other folks on my Facebook page newsfeed who were posting comments about various articles about Tulsi Gabbard that had been recently posted on Facebook, mostly about Gabbard’s reactions to her treatment by the DNC, having accused the DNC of trying to hijack the primary debates, and her truthful and courageous responses to Hillary Clinton’s allegations that she was a “Russian asset”, framing Hillary as a hypocrite, calling her the “queen of warmongers” and “the embodiment of political corruption,” as reported at https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/10/19/20922122/hillary-clinton-tulsi-gabbard-queen-warmongers-russia-2020-election. .

Other Democrats in various posts have accused Gabbard of plotting a third party challenge maybe in the Green Party if Jill Stein would let her, to which Gabbard allegedly promised she would not run as a third party candidate if she did not get the DNC nomination, which, if true, seems to me to be a mistake. Being a Jill Stein voter in 2016, I posted a video October 22, 2019 on my Facebook page presenting Jill Stein in an interview truthfully and courageously telling Hillary Clinton what she thought about Clinton’s comments about Gabbard and herself being Russian assets. See this U-tube video interview posted at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY5KIcK2iug&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3Ysm8XKxqna5Zhb8SqFdOZ2UQA7NSV-xDXm__huGigKEqgfvmAuv2Whsw/     

Most of the respondents and commenters on my Facebook newsfeed I randomly got involved with as mentioned above apparently were Democratic true believers, being convinced Biden, Warren, and Sanders were clearly the leaders in the primary process and the rest should just willingly drop out to make things smoother for the DNC, to which I responded with, “But what about Tulsi? She is obviously a strong candidate? Have you seen this Drudge Report poll? According to this poll Gabbard won the sixth debate hands down,” posting the comment and the Internet address for the DR poll showing the above results in the thread of comments. 

And then three or four of the participants immediately started attacking me for having the temerity to post a Drudge Report post in their august midst, posting Parent ego state tirades about how low brow and fake the DR is, as anybody should know. One of them said she hoped I was getting paid for this since I was making such a fool of myself, implying I was a troll.

One person in the thread allowed they should at least cut Tulsi some slack and wait for more information, but none of the rest would hear of it, being convinced Warren, Sanders, and Biden were the only candidates worth considering. And then one of them posted a fact check website in response to one of my posts in which I asked them if they had any evidence the DR was an untrustworthy fake news site? According to the fact check site the DR did publish some fake news, also conspiracy theories, and was generally untrustworthy, recommending fact checking any post you might want to remember and use posted by the DR. The fact check site also criticized the DR for linking articles posted in ZeroHedge, another so-called conspiracy theory site. The fact check site said about seventy-five percent of DR readers were conservatives some of whom listened to Rush Limbaugh and others of his ilk. Having never listened to Rush Limbaugh nor watched Fox So-called News, considering myself a staunch Independent, I nevertheless began to think I might be more conservative than I thought I was.

The Facebook posts mentioned above convinced me the Drudge Report is labeled and villified as a fake news conservative site by a lot of Democrats, which I had not considered or concluded in four or years of perusing and reading the DR, mainly reading headlines just to see what is going on around Spaceship Earth, which I am still convinced is worthwhile, the DR being one of the best sites for this sort of thing. The negative posts about the DR and the fact checker information caused me to do a Google search about the DR in which I found out the DR now has probably the greatest number of hits per day of any web news source anywhere, over one million hits per day.

If some seventy-five percent of the DR hits per day are conservatives that means some of the other twenty-five percent could be people like me, Independent Jill Stein-voting-for Progressives, and many are people like Democrats of various persuasions, ranging from true believers to ordinary liberals, and that means a sample of 207,726 Total Votes cast in a DR poll over a week or so about a CNN DNC televised primary debate would be biased to some extend by an overweighting of conservatives, all other things being equal, but it would not necessarily be biased about what most US presidential eligible voters think, including about 50,000 non-right wing conservative eyeballs, and it is worth noting that the DR poll no doubt included eligible voters who voted in 2016 and those who did not vote in 2016, and those who will not vote in 2020, increasing the accuracy of the picture the poll painted about who won the debates, namely Tulsi Gabbard.  

As I understand political polling in the US, the sample sizes for most polls are not that large, much smaller than the DR poll referenced here, and thus would be more biased than the DR poll based on sample size alone. According to this CNN article about a CNN poll at https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/23/politics/cnn-poll-biden-lead-increases/index.html, Biden is way out in front as the winner of the DNC primary process, having the support of 34 percent of Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters, as of October 23, with the next best Warren having 19 percent support and Sanders having 16 percent.

Here is a CNN comment from the above article: “But Biden has seen big spikes in support among moderate and conservative Democrats (43% support him now, up from 29% in the September poll), racial and ethnic minorities (from 28% among all nonwhites in September to 42% now) and older voters (up 13 points since September among those 45 and older) that outpace those among younger potential Democratic voters (up 5 points among those younger than 45)”.

The CNN poll write-up went to say Biden was considered by Democrats to be most likely to vote for issues that could be passed in Congress and he had the best grasp of foreign policy. The article said however that viewers of the last debate in their poll, the sixth one referenced by me above, viewed Biden less favorably than those who did not watch the debate.

Here is the CNN description of the poll size in the above referenced CNN article: “The CNN Poll was conducted by SSRS from October 17 through 20 among a random national sample of 1,003 adults reached on landlines or cellphones by a live interviewer, including 424 registered voters who are Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents. Results for the full sample have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points. For results among potential Democratic voters, it is plus or minus 5.8 points.”

If you want a view of what US voters as a whole think it seems to me the above referenced CNN poll was more biased than the above referenced DR poll, based on sample size alone, plus the CNN poll targeted Democratic true believers and likely Democratic voters with no mention of the political leanings of the remaining five hundred or so of the sample. In any case, a sample size of one thousand in the case of the CNN poll pales in comparison with the DR poll sample size of 207,726. Not being a statistician I have no idea how you would go about proving which poll had the highest statistical reliability and validity, but it seems to me the DR poll paints the clearest picture about who won the debates, and that picture shows most US eligible voters prefer Gabbard rather than Biden.

On the other hand, my homegrown sample of one, my Democratic professor emeritus statistically-expert mathematician wife had this to say: “So what, all those conservatives in the DR poll said they think Gabbard won the debate because they think she is the best looking, and they think she would be the easiest one to beat in a race with Trump.”

Regardless, it seems to me the statistical reliability and validity of the DR poll would most likely be just as high as the reliability and validity of the CNN poll. 

The question remains, who do most US eligible voters think is the best presidential candidate: Gabbard or Biden?

Seems to me it boils down to what you think is most enlightening, relevant and least fake, your own eyes and ears watching and hearing the debates, the above referenced DR poll, or the above referenced CNN poll?  

While there are several possible arguments one might make based on an analysis of this case, I have neither the time nor the energy to discuss them here. I also realize it is impossible to prove anything about the candidates or the DNC primary process based on the facts of this case; and I also know it is always impossible to find or generate provably-true right answers for political, economic, and social states of affairs anywhere anytime, the best you can hope for being to generate consensual answers satisfactory to most of the humans subject to them. Nevertheless, following are my conclusions based on evidence presented in this case. Call it fake news if you will.

It seems to me the DNC is again rigging their primary election, with Biden as the new Hillary, as Michael Moore has pointed out in a Facebook post. It was obvious to my eyes watching the first CNN debate referenced above that the show was rigged in favor of Biden. The debate questioners over and over referred to Biden as the “frontrunner,” giving him more deference and air time than the others.  It was less evident in the sixth debate but it was still there. CNN has conducted the debates to generate advertising revenues and then proceeds to conduct a poll about who won and then writes up the poll results for their advertisers and viewers. How unbiased is that?

I have no idea what is really going on internally within the DNC, but it seems to me there are parallels between their behind the scenes machinations now and whatever it was they did to sidecar Sanders in 2016. Warren in recent days has been saying the 2016 DNC primary election was rigged against Sanders, which seemed obvious to me at the time. Gabbard has recently said the DNC is trying to “hijack” the primary election now. Rigging, hijacking, whatever, this sort of the thing seems to be standard operating procedure for the DNC.

It seems to me the DNC is primarily interested in finding a presidential nominee who they think will preserve the perks, legacies, jobs, and careers of Democrat politicians and bureaucrats in Washington than they are in finding a nominee that can defeat Trump and improve conditions for we the people, humans not only living in the US, but homo sapiens and other species still alive all around Spaceship Earth, including about fifty percent of eligible US voters who did not vote in the 2016 election, which no doubt was to some extent caused by having to vote for a supposed lesser of two evils.

There is no proof that Trump has been more evil in office than Hillary would have been. At least Trump has not destroyed any more nations yet. Look what Hillary did to Libya when she was secretary of state under Obama.

It seems to me Tulsi Gabbard would have a much better chance of beating Trump and doing something to significantly improve the functioning of the US government than Biden, but she apparently does not stand a chance of getting the DNC presidential nomination, primarily because of the way the DNC primary process has been hijacked and rigged, primarily by forcing DNC presidential primary candidates to solicit large sums of money from elite rich and corporate donors to stay in the race, donors who in general will not donate to young highly intelligent creative and energetic progressive female candidates they cannot trust to do their bidding in office, in a process that in effect forces most presidential primary candidates to accept bribes psychologically obligating them to pay back their elite rich and corporate donors after they get in office by voting in their favor. Bernie Sanders was an exception in this regard in 2016 but it did him no good in the end, thanks to the rigging of the DNC.

It also seems to me most Democratic true believers are naively playing a DO ME SOMETHING psychological Game, socially pretending they primarily want a presidential candidate who will improve the US government and benefit we the people, whereas psychologically they want an older not so bright pork barrel male politician who they falsely think will help them personally (rather than elite rich and corporate donors) with more perks and benefits, which in my view are necessary in many cases, but which should not be the driving force behind voting in US presidential primary elections, otherwise the US and Spaceship Earth will continue their downward spirals.

Unfortunately large political parties become corrupted—having been bribed by the elite rich and large corporations, having created voting rules and processes that require politicians running for high office to take billions of dollars in bribes to purchase air, screen and print time and space from Mainstream Media to broadcast campaign propaganda to targeted audiences to get elected. They are authoritarian; evolve into fascism; cause humans to act like sheep; accomplish nothing of significance obvious to everyone when terms of office end, after promising to solve everything, after spending billions of dollars on elections; function like gangs fighting other gangs; encourage intolerance, polarizations and enmity among the populace; cause conformity and group think in organizations everywhere; create dependence; foment wars and warlike behaviors; foster obedience to party lines; waste money and resources; function with faux democracy like high school students winning popularity contests, where most of the time only those with narcissistic movie star-like looks, mannerisms, and speech win; create grandiose illusions that turn to ashes when terms of office end and poor people realize their lives have continued to deteriorate, causing anger, disillusionment, and depression; play psychological Games instead of doing things to solve real problems, such as poverty, inequality, and the like; exploit family scripts, preying upon generationally ingrained dysfunctional scripted family feeling, thinking and behaving, rather than encourage learning, growth and script-free feeling, thinking, and behaving; dumb people down; cause and reward immoral and unethical behavior, selecting leaders who have character and intellectual defects, often selecting sociopaths with little enough empathy to be able to maim and destroy nations and people with a straight face and keep a clear conscience, while presenting an innocent-looking face in public; use ad hominem slurs, innuendoes, and verbal attacks to slander humans who argue against their party line doctrines, dogmas, and slogans; create discord, mayhem, sanctions, and wars, frustrating, undermining, bullying, and destroying other countries and people around Spaceship Earth, playing one-upmanship psychological Games and plundering resources that justifies war making behaviors and expenditures to combat blowback and create jobs, profits, and votes internally; ignore global warming and climate change, to maintain their grip on the populace, telling their sheeple fairy tales instead of the truth, while not doing things to prevent the extinctions of Earthian species of fauna and flora, probably including sooner or later the Earthian human species.

Richard John Stapleton, PhD, CTA is an emeritus professor of operations management, management information systems, organizational behavior, business policy, and entrepreneurship at Georgia Southern University, using the case method in all courses. He is a founder and owner of Effective Learning Company, and the founder and moderator of the Ogeechee Economic Forum at https://www.effectivelearning.net/ogeechee-economic-forum.html .

OCTOBER OGEECHEE ECONOMIC FORUM HOUR

By Richard John Stapleton, PhD, CTA, Moderator

The Ogeechee Economic Forum Hour will again be open for discussion this coming third Saturday of the month, October 19, 2019 during 11-12 a.m.

This Saturday we will again meet at the Eagle Creek Brewing Company.

Franklin Dismuke, entrepreneur, owner, and CEO of Eagle Creek Brewing Company, a graduate of the Georgia Southern Parker College of Business, agreed to us doing the forum while his pub is open for business.

Invite your friends who are also invited and drop by Eagle Creek Brewing Company at 106 Savannah Avenue in Statesboro at eleven a.m. this coming Saturday, October 19, for an hour of interesting and stimulating economic, political, and social discussion. We’ll have more room and better parking than we had at my office.

The main purpose of the Ogeechee Economic Forum is to provide an equal opportunity for responsible citizens to test their ideas for dealing with economic, political, and social problems and opportunities. If you don’t know a good answer for a problem maybe someone else in the group will. Hopefully the process will make us all better citizens.

The process utilizes a Classroom De-Gamer™. A spinner attached to the De-Gamer will select the LEADER OF THE HOUR who will create the agenda by answering three questions, whatever pops into mind, about what s/he thinks is the most significant economic, political, or social problem or opportunity right now.

What is the problem?

What are the alternatives?

What do you recommend?

Rarely will the De-Gamer select a leader who knows right answers for these sorts of problems and issues, since there are no “right” answers for them, or at least there are no provably-true right answers.

Once something is codified into a rule, law, or doctrine, it’s true that the rule, law, or doctrine entails such and such, and if one knows what is codified s/he knows a “right” answer; but it’s almost impossible to prove that what was codified should have been codified in the first place, or as it was. It’s even more difficult to prove, even with hindsight, that economic and political decisions were “right”, so anything the LEADER OF THE HOUR brings up will generate interesting and stimulating discussion.

Anyone can respond to what the De-Gamer-selected leader said with what s/he thinks are better answers, on a first-come first-serve basis, after the De-Gamer-selected leader stops talking.

One spin of the De-Gamer most of the time generates about one hour of back and forth discussion about what the De-gamer-selected leader said and about what others said. If the discussion runs out of steam before the hour is up we can spin the De-Gamer again, or quit for the day.

The purpose of the discussion is to learn and educate, not to indoctrinate, by co-constructing consensual answers. About the best you can hope for in most groups, organizations, and systems is to co-construct consensual answers that are good enough to satisfy most people affected by them.

The Ogeechee Economic Forum is non-partisan. Persons of all political persuasions and faiths are welcome.

The “Spinner” makes sure all participants (including me the moderator) have an equal shot at being the Leader of the Hour. If the spinner lands on me I will present and answer the three questions just like any other participant would. Once the De-Gamer-selected leader breaks the ice it’s free flow from then on. Anyone can become the LEADER OF THE MOMENT by diving in the discussion first. There’s no holding up of hands to get permission to talk to the whole group. No one can be interrupted once s/he starts talking to the whole group, assuming s/he does not talk too long. If someone talks too long I will clang my cowbell to give someone else a chance. There are no side conversations. All talking must be to the whole group. Anyone can get up and leave at any time if s/he has any sort of personal problem.

A major purpose of the group is to create democracy, not autocracy.

Another purpose is to learn how to avoid playing psychological Games such as BALANCE SHEET, AIN’T IT AWFUL, GREENHOUSE, MINE’S BETTER, NIGYSOB, KICK ME, POOR ME, IF IT WEREN’T FOR YOU, LET’S YOU AND THEM FIGHT, DO ME SOMETHING, and I’M ONLY TRYING TO HELP YOU.

A major purpose is to learn how to create win-win economic, political, and social outcomes rather than win-lose outcomes.

Lastly, another purpose of the forum is to learn how to have fun while coping with serious problems.

Believe it or not, in most sessions this Game-free process generates a full hour of interesting, stimulating, informative, and satisfying experience for all participants, and the time passes quickly.

At the end of the forum hour Saturday I recommend recognizing the contributions of Coach Erk Russell, who named a drainage ditch running through Statesboro, that bordered his football practice field, Eagle Creek, who won three national championships during his tenure at Georgia Southern University, who stopped by my office one day and told me he appreciated what I was teaching some of his football players.

In the interests of full disclosure, I always wanted to be the quarterback of the team, as I documented here. http://www.effectivelearning.net/rjs-academic-vita.html

According to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal in 1954 I was probably the youngest and smallest Class A high school starting quarterback in the US.

I think I could do a better job quarterbacking the US than Donald Trump, if only a great football coach, such as Joe Moring, my high school coach in 1954, or Erk Russell in 1985, or some sort of national presidential Classroom De-Gamer™, could send me in the game and put Trump on the bench.

It also seems to me most reasonably bright US adult citizens with decent educations could do a better job quarterbacking the US than Trump. I read recently his approval rating is now thirty-eight percent. If you participate with the Ogeechee Economic Forum you will have an opportunity to tell me and the group why you think Trump is doing a better job as president than I could, or why you think Trump’s doing a better job than a reasonably bright well-educated adult US citizen selected by a Classroom De-Gamer™ could.

Come to the Ogeechee Economic Forum Hour this Saturday to participate in some Saturday Morning armchair economic, political, and social quarterbacking. Armchair quarterbacking about Ogeechee Economic Forum problems and opportunities is more relevant and satisfying than armchair quarterbacking about football games. There’ll be plenty of time to watch and talk about football over the rest of the weekend.

Please share this invitation with your friends who are also invited.

One more time,

RJS, Moderator

STOP BELIEVING IN FREE WILL TO CAUSE PEACE ABOARD SPACESHIP EARTH

THE EARTHIAN FORUM  —  12

THE EARTHIAN FORUM, Number Twelve, Effective Learning Publications, 32 East Main Street, Statesboro, Georgia, USA, October 13, 2019

THE EARTHIAN FORUM is a digest of articles containing facts, analyses, perspectives, and recommendations concerned about existential states of affairs affecting all species of fauna and flora around Spaceship Earth. Recent articles written and published by writers in Internet publications on ecological, economic, social, political, religious, and military states of affairs around Spaceship Earth are linked below as sources.

“ASK LESS WHAT YOUR NATION CAN DO FOR YOU—ASK MORE WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR SPACESHIP EARTH”

OR SO IT SEEMS TO ME RIGHT NOW

By Richard John Stapleton, PhD, CTA, Editor & Publisher

Well, here we are again. Good to have you here again as readers, whomever or whereever you are.  Rich, poor, well educated or not; working with your hands or working with your mind; or not working at all as a member of the elite rich or as a member of the retired class with a defined benefits pension plan and social security, or with a well-funded 401 (k); or not working period as one of the unemployed looking for a job, or one of the unemployed who would like to have a job but who are not counted as unemployed because they have given up on finding one; powerful or powerless; living in mansions or homeless; smart or not so smart; handsome or beautiful or plain; eloquent or too shy to speak up, this article’s for you. 

So to whom am I really writing?  Who knows.  Maybe only to myself.

Given the general scope of what my mind tends to land on these days, economics, politics, transactional analysis, life experiences and script messages and such, what should I write at this moment that might be of some significance? Should I write a story that might entertain or one that might cause readers to learn something?

Unfortunately I can’t spin a Classroom De-Gamer™ to select a topic. My subconscious mind has to do it somehow. Here it comes, maybe. Still have not had a real thought about something to write about. Do we force our thoughts, or do they just spontaneously bubble up from the subconscious? How does the subconscious mind do this? Don’t have a clue, but here comes a thought, almost. Well maybe not. Maybe I should just forget about doing this now and go to town and get some supplies at the Little Walmart, almost a daily ritual for me these days. Maybe just walk around the store and observe some real people doing something necessary right now.  Better than just sitting here waiting to make up something to write about. No, write something. Write whatever pops into your conscious mind.

As you can see from the following articles selected as sources for this issue of The Earthian Forum, number twelve, I as usual have been reading about our superhero Donald Trump and his adventures around Spaceship Earth, so it looks like he has just popped into my conscious mind for something to write about for this article.  Does he pose a threat to all Earthians, not caused by maliciousness or malevolence necessarily on his part but caused by incompetence and irresponsibility? Is he unfit for the office of president of the US?  

For starters it seems to me right now anyone would have to be mentally deranged to want to be president of the US in the first place given the dire consequences of what a US president can cause in the job intentionally and unintentionally. Those possible consequences would worry me to death.

Should he be impeached? I don’t know, and probably nobody knows for sure.

As is implied in a comment I made about one of the articles sourced below, it seems to me the biggest problem most people have comprehending Trump is caused by the fact he is so unusual. I for one had never heard of or seen anyone quite like him before, so-called billionaire, poor student, barely able to read, telling his staff he wants to read as little as possible, maybe dyslexic, having no morals or ethics to speak of, yet having no criminal convictions with jail time, considered a messiah of sorts by evangelists, hated and vilified by millions, loved almost as s saint by millions, yet there he is, president of the US.

Love him or hate him, despite his being a narcissist or sociopath, or whatever he is according to the DSM, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Trump is not insane since he has been doing his shit for several decades having fun and lording it over people, and he still has a relatively large net worth on his balance sheet, the exact number of dollars of net worth he has having been seen by only a few people working for the Trump Organization, some CPAs and IRS agents, and maybe some family members.

Sourced below is a good article with public data showing the market value of Trump’s properties exceed the money borrowed against them, thus it appears his assets exceed his liabilities, and he’s not almost bankrupt, assuming he doesn’t owe humongous debts hidden from public eyes that are not collateralized, and assuming his physical collateral is worth what it’s appraised at, marked to market, sellable. If so he is indeed a wealthy man, irrespective of how much wealth he inherited from his father and grandfather, his grandfather having started Trump’s family fortune by starting, owning and running a restaurant and whore house in Canada servicing miners during the Klondike gold rush days in Alaska, as shown here.  https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-trump-family-fortune/?fbclid=IwAR1Vpewy-HZk6GD

Most people believe free will exists and subconsciously think humans have caused themselves to be what they are though their decisions and actions, therefore believing that individual Earthian humans are thus deserving of blame or praise; but it seems to me, not only right now, but since I was about twenty-one years old, that everything is caused, including human feelings, thoughts, beliefs, decisions, and actions. I never did fully believe there could be a non-caused cause, which I now concede there may have been, somehow, some sort of god-like thing, the most potent phenomenon imaginable, that always existed and therefore was not caused, that for some reason started the evolution of our universe some ten billion years ago, and maybe also other universes, then, or at other times.

To find data and evidence as to whether free will exists you can ask Google “does free will exist” and if you do you will find, as I did, 875 million results. No Earthian human could possibly read all these sources, but I would be willing to bet if a supercomputer did at least half the sources would support the proposition that free will does not exist.

Free will is rarely discussed in polite society or in politically-correct media. In general it’s a taboo subject. Most people want to read and hear the same public narratives, that everything is basically hunky dory as it’s always been and god is in his heaven and bibles are all you need to know and all you have to do is believe and have faith and go to church, temple, or mosque and pay the preacher, priest, rabbi, or imam, and recite the doctrines and dogma, and you will be fine, throughout eternity.  What a deal that is, which Trump seems to support.

It’s surprising that some percentage of USian citizens now think Trump is some sort of messiah, who will save them, and say they will take up arms against other USians to keep him in power, regardless of how many votes he gets in the next election. Many of them are angry that some USian citizens have the temerity to criticize their dear leader in public, considering it a form of blasphemy.

What caused these hateful thoughts and stories?

It seems to me hate stories are caused by various things such as over-population, increasing poverty, dysfunctional political and educational systems, increased militarism, and ever-widening income inequality; but one of the most insidious psychological causes of hatred is Earthian humans believing free will exists.     

If humans did not believe free will exists they would have no justification for hating anyone, being forced to realize all humans have been caused to feel, think, decide, and do in ineluctable inexorable cause-effect chains infinitely regressing and progressing through time, and therefore they are not to blame, praise, or hate for what they believe and do.

Earthian humans are merely lucky or unlucky and syntonic or dystonic in their environments.

If Earthian humans could miraculously stop believing in free will hatred around Spaceship Earth would diminish immediately, and possibly disappear.

This is not to say that Earthian humans do not need rules and laws and should not reward or punish derelict deleterious humans (regardless of what caused their harmful effects) to cause them to stop doing harmful things and to do beneficial things.

Despite the probability free will does not exist, major structural changes have to happen right now on Earth to prevent more and more extinctions of native fauna and flora, including homo sapiens. Some structural changes are happening, but are the right kinds of changes happening at a fast enough rate? If they’re not most Earthian species, homo sapiens included, are probably toast, kaput, done, sooner or later.

Scientists estimate that about two hundred Earthian species of fauna and flora now go extinct daily around Spaceship Earth as shown here. 

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/un-environment-programme-_n_684562?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAA3HwbgNzsOF0o2gQIViYWYr5IgS8-3yKWI0NINrFaa2AoxSEWtPipCeHxuu1w4G4qW8BnwUzdsJIimdAR_UdY6jZyDDeFYJxbQ1sCQP2ICHbs0O8vewQMwFVHgvM7QSU4dg0qcnv7-XHbdzNl75wj5aJ1j05iIBB8FWu3yW6dfv

How much longer do Earthian humans have before the extinction process reaches them? I don’t know and probably nobody knows. Hopefully Earthian humans have a decade or more to go before it’s obvious the show’s over if drastic changes are not made ASAP.

In the halls of the USian congress right wing politicians commonly assure their voters there is nothing to worry about in regard to global warming and climate change because throughout Earthian history there have been random variations in temperature and climate, and what Usians have been experiencing of late is just another normal anomaly, and therefore human production and consumption systems have not caused any permanent observable changes in the climate; so just vote for me and everything will work out for you and yours just hunky-dorily. 

Which is bosh and bullshit, a fairy-tale told to adults.

Given that the average Earthian temperature has been rising in recent decades, polar ice caps are melting at an increasing rate, sea levels are rising, and devastating weather events around Earth occur with increasing frequencies—floods, droughts, cold spells, wildfires, and hurricanes—Earthian humans had better hope they caused it.

Because if Earthian humans caused it they can theoretically do something to correct it.

On the other hand, if humans did not cause it, they are at the mercy of natural cosmic evolution, no better off than any Earthian species rendered extinct by natural causes in any Earthian Ice Age.

Be sure to ask your cocksure self-righteous all-knowing right-wing politician if s/he thinks observable devastating changes in weather patterns will revert back to normal soon enough to save the Earthian human species from extinction, regardless of who or what caused it? 

As the saying goes, “If it (human-caused global warming and climate change) walks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck, and it looks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.”

Unfortunately, one can build a case that what will happen to Earthian humans is already baked in the cake.

Most Earthian humans seem to assume the on-going process of change will inevitably work in their favor and will result in structural improvements in human life that will insure indefinite sustainability; when it’s possible infinitely regressive and progressive inexorable ineluctable cause-effect chains now in place will inevitably cause worse causes, not better, causing even more Earthian extinctions per day, part of a natural cosmic process that may have already run its course on thousands of planets once harboring life in various solar systems, galaxies, and universes. 

Various planets may have produced life forms intelligent enough to produce AI robots that wiped them out, their suns may have burned out, a large asteroid could have hit them, and probably other things could have done them in, such as nuclear weapons, or global warming and climate change they caused on their planets.

Thank you, my subconscious mind, for giving me some content today for my usual “Or So It Seems To Me Right Now” column in The Earthian Forum. Most likely you produced what you did because you were caused to do it by what I have been caused to read in the last month or so, including the articles listed below as sources, and because of whatever it was that caused the writers of the sourced articles to write what they wrote, and on and on through time in unbroken cause-effect chains. 

Unfortunately Trump caused a lot of what was written about in the sourced articles because the USian electoral college contains mistakes made by the writers of the US Constitution that unfairly gave Trump the US presidential election in 2016, irrespective of his having lost the popular vote, causing him to do what he did recently that caused him to get written about, entangled with myriad cause-effect chains moving forward at various speeds at various angles through time, part of the magnum web of Earthian cause-effect chains determining human experience around Spaceship Earth.

It’s possible that natural entropic processes might eventually reduce everything in all universes back to mere fermions, bosons, quarks, and similar particles in space.

If you ask Google “is human extinction inevitable” as I did you will find almost seven million results, some asserting human extinction is inevitable, some saying it’s not inevitable. My guess is nobody knows for sure. Regardless, it seems to me it can happen as a force majeure.

As the writers of the song Que Sera Sera were caused to write, “The future’s not ours to see; whatever will be will be.” You can see and hear this truism sung right now at  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZbKHDPPrrc.

A fundamental teaching of transactional analysis is that humans should learn to “see what is really going on” with themselves and others as they transact with one another socially and psychologically living their daily lives so as to maximize their chances of living with satisfaction, despite how not-OK their economic, social, psychological, and political worlds might be.

Transactional analysis, or TA, teaches there are three naturally occurring life outcomes caused for humans:  winner, loser, and non-winner— caused by the sum total of inherited characteristics and “messages” one is exposed to from the moment of birth, including electrochemical messages one is exposed to in one’s mother’s womb some say—and by the decisions irrational offspring are caused to make about the messages—that become permanent determinants of emotional, intellectual, and behavioral responses throughout life that determine the three generic life outcomes, or life scripts.

In other words, it’s all a matter of luck in the naturally-occurring unfair world of inevitable cause-effect chains causing human scripts and outcomes, a blind unfair process that produces in the aggregate predictable outcomes that recur in about the same proportions within the Earthian human population generation after generation.

A major purpose of TA is to help clients add new artificial causes of causation to alter the path of the naturally-occurring cause-effect chains determining an individual, group, or organization so as to increase life satisfactions for clients, helping them to escape banal and harmartic “scripts” naturally causing their outcomes.

Changing a loser script to a winner script requires a lot of hard work but it can happen if a person somehow acquires artificial script messages powerful enough to control the naturally-occurring deleterious or debilitating script messages.  TA can provide people basic concepts and tools for attempting such a thing, requiring perhaps the use of different ego states and transactional patterns, learning how to communicate in more effective ways psychologically as well as socially, psychological messages being ulterior and non-spoken, social messages being overt and spoken. 

Changing a loser script may also entail changing the way one structures one’s time, learning how to spend more time working rather than playing Games, or learning how to spend more time being intimate instead of chit-chatting and bullshitting about pastimes such as casual sex, sports, and soap operas, or reciting rituals, or playing Games, especially playing Games similar to those Trump plays, who probably rarely achieves real intimacy, as evidenced by his baggage of failed marriages and corrupt relationships. Trump is now one of the most visible Game-players around Spaceship Earth, constantly persecuting, rescuing, and victimizing individuals, groups, and organizations somewhere around Spaceship Earth, one way or the other.

One can build a case it’s better not to try to change a loser script, however unfair the script might be. The Prayer of Serenity goes something like this:  Lord give me the intelligence and strength to change what needs changing, and the wisdom to know what I can and cannot change, knowing full well that some suffering, losing, and grieving are inevitable.

A basic problem or question is whether serenity is possible in today’s world, beset as it is by global warming and climate change and by escalating hostilities and agitations within and between organizations and groups around Earth, especially between big organizations and groups, such as the US and Iran, with the US government trying to goad Iran into doing something rash that will give the US government an excuse to tear Iran to shreds with another war in the Middle East, a gruesome Game indeed, called by transactional analysts IF IT WEREN’T FOR YOU. 

How could anyone be serene knowing his or her country is being led by a misogynist leader such as Trump? And how serene could anyone be knowing the US Supreme Court is ruled 5-4 by prejudiced and biased right wing judges, including at least one or two misogynists?

TA never promised anyone any rose gardens on Earth, or eternal bliss in heaven, but it does advertise that it can help specific individuals, groups, and organizations become more ok, not only in terms of achieving personal goals but becoming more ok transacting with others so as to live with more dignity, satisfaction, peace, and tranquility, based on Adult mutually agreed to social contracts.

No one could blame you if you believe in tuning out TA and blogs such as this one. One can build a case the best strategy is to tune out the world, burrowing up in your burrow as much as possible, reading no newspapers and not watching television, with no Internet, to maximize your mental health, and serenity. The problem however if you do this is boredom. Most humans have an innate need for stimulation, achievement, and recognition.

Regardless of what sort of cognitive structures you use, TA or whatever, sooner or later you have to take action, requiring defining the problem, delineating the alternatives, and making recommendations for changing things, and choosing things, and then trying things, trial and error, over and over, till something works. 

1—What is the problem?

2—What are the alternatives?

3—What do you recommend?

Unfortunately this Adult problem-solving process does not seem to work with nations, at least for long for most. Who would be idealistic or grandiose enough to think he or she could define the problems of a nation, generate alternatives for solving them, make recommendations for change, and then start an action plan of things to do to cure the not-OKness? 

It seems nations never solve their problems. All they ever do is change the actors of roles required by the script, which may involve trivial script changes over time, say changing from a monarchy to a republic, or from feudalism to capitalism to socialism to communism to fascism, and maybe back again to capitalism; but so what, the dynamics remain the same. The top leaders wind up manipulating and exploiting the members regardless of the economic or political system de jure, caused by the innate greed and corruption of top leaders competing for more money and power, playing Games, trying to be the top dog. 

Yet so far humans have kept on muddling through somehow despite their chronic problems doing about the same things over and over, despite the fact no single human or nation has been smart enough or wise enough or powerful enough to start and implement an action plan that results in real improvement and correction for everyone.

The problem now however if climate change and global warming are real in ways thousands believe they are we may be living in

The Age of No More Muddling Through.

Politicians promise to start and implement action plans for real improvement if you will just vote for them. Most of their promises are snake oil such as “socialism” or “cutting taxes” or “more military spending” or “Make America Great Again”—but It never happens or does any good, despite the billions of dollars spent on campaigns, and the new characters acting out the same roles after the elections; and the country keeps sliding downhill, as if the purpose of the whole charade was to give winners of elections the pleasure of winning something and acting out the roles they tried out for, giving them a taste of power and recognition as a top dog, with no real achievement for everyone.

We live in precarious times, but it will do little good to play AIN’T IT AWFUL, a psychological Game identified and labeled by transactional analysts, in which psychological Game players collect strokes by constantly complaining about the evils and troubles of the cold cruel world, positioning themselves as Victims of obsolete economic, religious, and political systems manipulated and exploited by greedy self-interested power-mad sociopathic oligarchs and leaders and their corrupt bought and paid for lackeys, especially lobbyists and politicians, however true that might be in reality.

Yet, it seems to me humans should discuss serious economic, political, environmental, social, and psychological problems in Adult Game-Free ways to develop consensual bottom-up policies and strategies, and the more groups around Earth the better, which increases the odds of developing workable and cooperative approaches for staving off the dire consequences of global warming and climate change. 

At the same time, it will do no good for Earthian humans to stick their heads in the sand to passively pretend everything is just hunky-dory and swell, with everything coming up roses for everyone, living in small imaginary Candide-like best of all possible worlds, playing a psychological Game labeled GREENHOUSE by transactional analysts, in which players are rewarded with plastic (fake) strokes (units of recognition) for making nonsensical positive cheerful upbeat comments about the environment and political, economic, social, and psychological states of affairs.

But it seems to me the riskiest psychological Game played politically right now is IF IT WEREN’T FOR YOU, involving polarized extremists that continue to experience increasing insecurity and hopelessness as they continue to blame others and find scapegoats for their plights, escalating their anger as they transmit threats from their dogmatic Parent ego states to the Parent ego states of others, sometimes attacking others verbally and physically for their perceived misdeeds (as if they did what they did of their own free will). Some of the threats include international and civil war. The dishonesty of the psychological Game IF IT WEREN’T FOR YOU entails Earthian humans psychologically pretending to believe that opposing evil parties have decided using free will to cause the heinous actions and problems they are accused of diabolically causing, when the Game players probably suspect at their Adult social levels that other things caused the problems. Getting rid of the other will not solve the problems, whether the other (the enemy) is a competing political party or a regime. The real causes of extremist plights such as over-population, poverty, poor educational systems, poor family scripts, poor religions, and unfair economic policies and systems are ignored and unresolved; the insecurity, anger, and misery escalate until finally the shooting starts; things get blown up and destroyed; millions of humans are killed; societies collapse, and somehow rise from the ashes; and then the Game begins again.

Unfortunately, Earthian humans have now progressed technologically to a level where they may be powerful enough to blow up and destroy things to such a degree that there will be nothing left to rise from again, if they start seriously shooting and bombing again in an all-out no-holds-barred war, in which case there will be no live Earthian humans left to play IF IT WEREN’T FOR YOU again.       

Regardless, individual Earthian humans should assume responsibility and take action for conserving energy as best they can in their daily lives to reduce greenhouse gases and the effects of climate change; but especially they should help select politicians who will vote for economic and political policies and strategies that will help correct environmental, economic, political, social, and psychological problems on a mass scale, not just play psychological Games, before it’s too late.  

For at least two centuries humans have lived under the illusion that technology and labor-saving devices, new chemical applications in agriculture (fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides), and new scientific discoveries of all sorts would enable them to live happily ever after, while producing as many offspring as they wished, thereby increasing the world human population without limit, despite the admonitions of humans like Thomas Malthus, an English parson, who published in 1798 in an essay titled “An Essay on the Principle of Population” what became known as the Malthusian Concept, namely that human population grows geometrically while the human food supply grows arithmetically, and therefore most humans were doomed to suffer food shortages, poverty, subsistence living, and premature deaths.  Up until the last few years economists have generally taught that Malthus was wrong, arguing that technology, chemical agriculture, better seeds, and better irrigation would enable an ever-increasing human population to be adequately fed and housed. Unfortunately it now appears that Malthus was right after all. World hunger, poverty and misery are increasing, even in the United States; and, even worse, it appears that some forms of technology, however beneficial and enjoyable they have been in the short run, have led human Earthians down a precarious path to possible extinction, namely electricity and the internal combustion engine used to power billions of cars, pickups with big tires, trucks, Harley-Davidson motorcycles, John Deere riding lawn mowers, tractors, airplanes, boats, ships, houses, refrigerators, central heating and cooling systems, factories, computers, and what have you around Spaceship Earth, requiring the ignition and burning of many millions of barrels, cubic feet, and tons of fossil fuel (oil, gas, and coal) every day as an energy source, the burning of which is causing global warming and climate change by putting ever more tons of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere. All forms of technology aren’t good things; and humans have to learn how to use good technology instead of bad technology, however addicted to bad technology they may be; and the Earthian human population should be peacefully reduced through natural attrition, natural deaths exceeding births, thereby reducing the need to deplete resources necessary to sustain the Earthian human population in the short run, irrespective of long run consequences. Bringing that about will require many different kinds of changes not only in the behavior of human Earthians but especially in the behavior of large human institutions controlled and manipulated by mentally-bounded self-interested sociopaths, such as the US. The situation is especially ominous when one considers that if humans were to give up all their addictions to bad technology cold turkey they would immediately cause an economic and political catastrophe of unimaginable proportions, possibly immediate extinction. Humans are cornered or trapped in a Global Catch-22 or Gordian Knot—in a damned-if-they-do-and-damned-if-they-don’t situation—and there are no easy answers for getting loose.

For more information regarding the use of Transactional Analysis, go here https://itaaworld.org/

 To create better discussion groups and democratic processes read my book Born to Learn:  A Transactional Analysis of Human Learning here https://www.amazon.com/Born-Learn-Transactional-Analysis-Learning/dp/0692584331   .

For more information on how to co-construct better organizations and economic systems read my book   Business Voyages:  Mental Maps, Scripts, Schemata, and Tools for Co-Constructing Your Own Business Worlds at https://www.amazon.com/Business-Voyages-Schemata-Discovering-Co-Constructing/dp/1413480810

See my article “The Evolution of Spaceship Earth, Inc,” at http://www.effectivelearning.net/spaceship-earth–inc..html for some management science ideas on how Earthian humans might eventually co-construct an economic system that is viable and satisfying for everyone aboard Spaceship Earth.  This entails Earthian humans never doing work that machines can do better, and delegating the day-to-day management of systems for scheduling, producing, and distributing the necessities of life to artificial intelligence programs and supercomputers. This can be done using linear programming based on the general algorithmic matrix algebra form Max CjXj, s.t. AijXj ≤, =, or ≥ Bi , as shown in “The Evolution of Spaceship Earth, Inc.”

Flying aboard an airliner about to land at night moving at four hundred miles an hour at thirty thousand feet with cloudy and rainy weather below, which would you rather have landing the plane, the plane’s computer system or the pilot and co-pilot, looking out their windows with their hands clutching their steering wheels?

For details regarding my transactional analysis and management science qualifications read RJS Academic Vita at http://www.effectivelearning.net/rjs-academic-vita.html.

TO RESPOND:

As usual this month’s THE EARTHIAN FORUM  links and cites as SOURCES recent articles written and published by clear deep-thinking hard-hitting independent writers in various Internet publications on ecological, economic, social, political, religious, and military affairs around Spaceship Earth.  I generally agree with these writers about what is most relevant about Spaceship Earth states of affairs, but each of them brought up facts, analyses, conclusions, ideas, or perspectives that were new to me when I read them during the last thirty days or so, thereby teaching me something, which is why I included them in this issue of THE EARTHIAN FORUM.  

It’s not easy, impossible some say, to separate relevant from irrelevant focal points in order to comprehend global cases, systems, and processes, while being inundated with fake news and true facts of states of affairs generated daily around Spaceship Earth, made public on the Internet, and elsewhere, to see what’s really going on, using primarily inductive and analogical reasoning, based on probability, not deductive logic, or irrelevant authoritarian make-believe certainty, to be memorized and obeyed as dogma and doctrine by sheeple.

If you have ideas on how to democratically discuss in Game-free ways economic and political problems and opportunities in something like the Ogeechee Economic Forum at

http://www.effectivelearning.net/ogeechee-economic-forum.html

go to our RESPONSES page and let us know about them at

http://www.effectivelearning.net/responses.html

Feel free to respond with comments about any of the SOURCES listed below using our RESPONSES page; but please refrain from making ad hominem attacks. Criticize any of the facts, data, evidence, reasoning, and conclusions in any of the articles; but please refrain from slandering the characteristics of the authors, illogically trying to prove their arguments and conclusions are wrong and yours are right because they are personally heinous and despicable.

I have no desire to sell subscriptions or advertising or solicit donations for THE EARTHIAN FORUM, but I would like to sell more books. If you feel you’ve gained value from THE EARTHIAN FORUM and would like to reciprocate go to our Effective Learning Publications  page and purchase one or more copies of my books at

http://www.effectivelearning.net/effective-learning-publications.html

Best wishes, RJS

SOURCES:

September 16, 2019

Tulsi and Yang, the way to go

September 16

Now here is an interesting post, showing clearly something is wrong with political reporting in MSM and CNN land (Mainstream Media), and in DNC land.  According to this poll Tulsi Gabbard won the sixth DNC debate handily with forty percent of the vote, far head of the next best, Yang, with about twenty percent.  Buttigeig got ten percent. Warren, Biden, and Sanders and the rest got less that seven percent each.  Gabbard also won another such debate I saw and Drudge poll with about the same results as this one. Yet there has been no mention of this I have seen in MSM.  It’s not that MSM publishes fake news so much by commission; apparently they mainly publish fake news by omission.  According to MSM and the DNC Tulsi Gabbard is not a serious Democrat candidate. Are these Drudge Report Internet polls anomalies?  Or what?

“**DRUDGE POLL** WHO WON THE SIXTH DEM DEBATE?” https://poll.fm/10434126/results?msg=voted&fbclid=IwAR1GYBal2hYlbhgdtoiOUqAUqOMNCvphjKn-nWjq2Z5-OhFtVzq4P-GjscM

October 11

Another nail in the coffin.

“Temperatures in Denver dropped 64 degrees in less than 24 hours, setting a record,” by Lauren M. Johnson, CNN, https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/10/us/denver-temperature-record-trnd/index.html?fbclid=IwAR1RvLQ5sewVwM47R4AFChjk6GqZcwIjaQMThGK5wHOMDHke-nA6AT8odyo

October 11

Here’s a sophisticated video by a talented presenter taking advantage of state of the art facilities and computer technology, maybe the best I have seen, telling and showing you how your brain works. Well worth a watch and listen for about twenty minutes.

“Your brain hallucinates your conscious reality,” by Anil Seth, YOU TUBE, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyu7v7nWzfo&fbclid=IwAR0eC80ZLFo2_EvH8a2pSnvnmCdrGnvErV5bZvlUkooazV7ifWzlq7P6SxE

October 11

Here’s a spot on snapshot meme showing how Repugs and Dems (especially Johnson, Clinton, and Obama) crippled the USian economic system since 1965, Johnson escalating the Vietnam War and going in debt with guns and butter; Clinton signing one of the worst pieces of economic legislation in US history, the Gramm-Leech-Bliley Act that got rid of the Glass-Stegall Act of 1933, that allowed the USian money and banking system and regulated capitalism system to become a gigantic gambling casino, funny money machine, and war machine; Obama caving in to Wall Street too-big-to-fail banks and the Pentagon; and bought and paid for Repugs since 1980 lowering tax rates for their elite rich and corporate paymasters and starting unnecessary wars, all of the above causing the angry, precarious, unfair, unequal, highly polarized, militarized debt economy the US has now, that could implode at any time.

“The Top Tax Rate: A Little Perspective,” Mil Yap, Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/richard.stapleton.397.

October 11  

Here’s a good economic source for what might really be going on.

“Adventures in Capitalism,” by Harris Kupperman, http://adventuresincapitalism.com/whos-kuppy/.

October 10

The DNC is still playing MOTHER KNOWS BEST, now doing to Tulsi Gabbard what they did to Bernie Sanders in 2015, just pretending they care about real democracy, only caring about preserving the perks and privileges of the DNC establishment, and hangers-on within the party, and DNC funding from rich patrons in the Deep State.

“Gabbard says she may boycott next week’s debate,” by Jonathan Easley, THE HILL, https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/465157-gabbard-says-she-may-boycott-next-weeks-debate?fbclid=IwAR2VDshnbqhliJTKpll16bZI-ZR5Csr3HlPJKytf5gZpul4VTrQAHAP57e0.

October 10

Increasing polarization.

“Partisan Antipathy: More Intense, More Personal,” PEW RESEARCH CENTER, https://www.people-press.org/2019/10/10/partisan-antipathy-more-intense-more-personal/?fbclid=iwar0dg0mudzd2m3zhazod2rhgj70vs1fzm9-qm4w1jamkqvxdzk_f6kfvjiu.

October 10

So it seems.

“’Slipping Into Madness”: The Comparisons To The 1920s And 1930s Are Just Uncanny,” by Michael Every, ZERO HEDGE, https://www.zerohedge.com/political/slipping-madness-comparisons-1920s-and-1930s-are-just-uncanny?fbclid=IwAR0Q4glhxMTlhTDoPv0BnggvV4hm58Qx8h-xwk6Hmy0aFqaT4cZ_JMxY91I.

October 10

You don’t say.

“The End Of Capitalism is Already Starting—If You Know Where to Look,” by Eillie Anzilotti, POCKET WORTHY, https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-end-of-capitalism-is-already-starting-if-you-know-where-to-look?utm_source=fbsynd&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR0sYRrWim-OwyHHoiey8CpjcA8AYKa_ylrtQDuOYYNIgFwlTlruNZiLfkM.

October 9

2050 or 2100? Does it matter?

“Rising Sea Levels Threaten Global Economy,” BLOOMBERG, https://sponsored.bloomberg.com/news/sponsors/zurich/threat-to-infrastructure-means-businesses-must-prepare-to-navigate-rising-seas/?adv=6712&prx_t=BkkFAAAAAAFEANA&fbclid=IwAR1ezu7sC9BtZnzFyMfcw4-JyyDlJYg1flcd3apPPchUHr-nXl5XcmLXMq8.

October 9

“All that said, it’s not clear there’s any real geopolitical reasoning behind Trump’s decision to let the Turks run roughshod over Kurdish Syria. The president, like his predecessors, is always willing to sacrifice masses of peoples to some greater interest, but in this case it’s unclear what that interest is, other than perhaps to declare an empty victory against the Islamic State and try to claim credit for ending one of the U.S.’s smallest and newest military engagements. That, at least, fits with the nationalist “populism” that brought him to power. “He’s just pulling us out of the Middle East, into an isolationist position,” Baer told me. “There’s no constituency [for this] other than ‘Why are we wasting all this money on these ragheads?’” “

“America is Screwing the Kurds Yet Again,” by Adam Weinstein, THE NEW REPUBLIC, https://newrepublic.com/article/155307/trump-withdraws-syria-america-screwing-kurds-yet?fbclid=IwAR186KXA6WAQC-nXRZGbuKPvs4CGFK6Ii0vpOUNE4UsaBqU3ltI0JEVRjKg.

October 8

And what’s the probability planting billions of trees will happen anytime soon? It would however be nice if publishing this article would cause human Earthians to plant more trees than they are now.

“Planting Billions of Trees is the ‘Best Climate Change Solution Available Today,’ Study Finds,” by Olivia Rosane, EcoWATCH, https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change-planting-trees-2639092782.html?xrs=RebelMouse_fb&ts=1562331921&fbclid=IwAR2zMbezOFXTPwQC444QGYAbr75v5LqspiNbKa97zdeCgbC4IvSPJJpZwHg.

October 6

Sad to say a major problem is what would all those millions of military employees do if the US stopped being a warmaking economy?

“Military Keynesianism Marches On,” by Joan Roelofs, COUNTERPUNCH, https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/10/03/military-keynesianism-marches-on/?fbclid=IwAR3pIa6mgOeN8LlR5BdGrEHN8XH9mhmFahnVtPuQmWTbKQlz-aLm76GO3gE.

October 4

Acceptance my foot. They used him to assert their family scripts. To learn about the significance of family scripts in political states of affairs, read my book Born to Learn: A Transactional Analysis of Human Learning at http://www.effectivelearning.net.

“The Dangerous Acceptance of Donald Trump,” by Adam Gopnik, THE NEW YORKER, https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-dangerous-acceptance-of-donald-trump?mbid=social_facebook_aud_dev_kwjunsub-the-dangerous-acceptance-of-donald-trump&kwp_0=234406&fbclid=IwAR332mUsHDUa2EOks1dy2zUtWOCPoKMLCAP8QoSsmRq94X7SAx_yfQZh-o8.

October 4

But they were taught and learned how to accumulate a family fortune. Trump is where he is today, like everybody else, because of his family script. He became what he was scripted to be. He did not invent himself using free will. Read my book Born to Learn: A Transactional Analysis of Human Learning to learn more about the significance of family scripts in political states of affairs. Despite being venal they look almost angelic in this picture, resembling most televangelists. Trump’s grandfather Fred got his start running a restaurant and whore house servicing miners during the Alaskan gold rush days.

“The Trump family has no record of military service in five generations, 2 world wars and over 150 years—Let That Sink In,” a spot on relevant meme, by Prissy Hamilton, FACEBOOK, https://www.facebook.com/richard.stapleton.397.

October 3

Sad and depressing.  The DNC establishment in action playing MOTHER KNOWS BEST.

“Michael Moore:  Joe Biden is ‘This Year’s Hillary’,” by Michael Moore, ZEROHEDGE, https://www.zerohedge.com/political/michael-moore-joe-biden-years-hillary?fbclid=IwAR36ly–2NVb-lz02UusBcpbVEKXZ8_NwQ6J54QslJhJ1dWcberQcGHyOHM.

October 3

Scary, especially with Halloween just around the corner.

“The Fed’s ‘Insurance’ Rate Cuts Didn’t Work. Now For The Emergency Cuts,” by John Rubino, DOLLARCOLLAPSE.COM, https://www.dollarcollapse.com/emergency-cuts/.

October 3

Most detailed and thorough critical review of Trump I have read. puts heavy reliance on the DSM, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, giving lengthy descriptions of mental illnesses such as narcissism and sociopathy, as have numerous writers, including psychiatrists and psychologists, on the Internet. For sure Trump is on the spectrum for both of them, but as this author points out quoting a supposed expert in the field, Trump is not technically mentally ill because the man can function given his goal to have fun in the here and now and lord it over people. He has been doing his shit for decades now and he still has a large positive net worth on his balance sheet. What most people can’t get their heads around is that Trump is just like all people. He is what he is becasue of family scripting, not free will. He did not invent himself. He was caused to be what he is by inexorable unbroken cause-effect chains running through time. To better understand family scripts read my book Born to Learn: A Transactional Analysis of Human Learning at www.effectivelearning.net.

“Unfit for Office,” by George T. Conway, THE ATLANTIC, https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/10/george-conway-trump-unfit-office/599128/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share&fbclid=IwAR1h5g0VrzMDAPKzb6ydsa_0Q8QWMrep7knchSQOO7CqVnCDxn2JlRYWuWU.

October 2

Yes, empathy is beneficial in ordinary human affairs. But under corporate capitalism empathy is mainly appreciated by bosses when it somehow profits them personally. Bosses may want employees to have empathy working with peer employees, to get along and create harmony, but empathy’s considered detrimental much of the time in overall corporate affairs, especially when dealing with competing corporations. A common attitude among corporate winners is I’m OK and everyone working for me is OK, but everyone else is less OK, especially competitors.

“The Single Most Important Interview Technique That Nearly Everyone Leaves Out,” by Thomas Koulopoulos, POCKET WORTHY, https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-single-most-important-interview-technique-that-nearly-everyone-leaves-out?utm_source=fbsynd&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR1d_YJ4yOzIjv56RWC7bUZAHW5KlbxGsjrYb6brYSo_3n6c6nw_me5Kf_A.

October 2

Good article by John Whitehead. Well laid out article laden with facts.

“Guns for Hire: No, the Government Shouldn’t Be Using the Military to Police the Globe,” by John B. Whitehead, THE RUTHERFORD INSTITUTE, https://www.rutherford.org/publications_resources/john_whiteheads_commentary/guns_for_hire_no_the_government_shouldnt_be_using_the_military_to_police_the_globe.

October 1

Do our great laders have any other bright ideas then for fighting the war on terrorism?

“Map Shows ‘Four Times As Many Jihadist Militants’ Around the World Than Before 9/11,” by Tyler Durden, ZEROHEDGE, https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/shocking-map-shows-four-times-many-jihadist-militants-around-world-911?fbclid=IwAR3UzHtFl1pOs7D-_Ne0nAIBIW-nax3Az5eJy77tyy2wj2f3ueTphgI3AXA.

October 1

The economy does not look good.

“US Manufacturing Weakest Since 2009: ‘Business Sentiment Stuck At Gloomy Levels,’ by Tyler Durden, ZEROHEADGE, https://www.zerohedge.com/economics/us-manufacturing-weakest-2009-business-sentiment-stuck-gloomy-levels?fbclid=IwAR1cjADVH522uTtw6yC5a2dcxlR8qPa0xcFNFtMRW1itMq9MkkLSZmZKJVM.

October 1

Maybe the relevant question is have capitalists destroyed capitalism?

“Crisis,” by Sven Henrich, NORTHMAN TRADER, https://northmantrader.com/2019/10/01/crisis-2/?fbclid=IwAR2lnOV3paavQjFKn1TFdyWl0ZeCuP8xcFO6Mlfun8S86_DA12jU13XnpkY.

October 1

Gabbard was probably the smartest and most truthful candidate in the DNC debates, now silenced and marginalized because of DNC rules and pork barrel politics. She won a Drudge Report poll i saw after one of the debates she was in that showed she won hands down, about forty percent of the total votes of eighteen thousand or so cast. This is DNC “democracy” in action, playing the psychological Game MOTHER KNOWS BEST, and to hell with the truth, get the man, in this case, you want, Biden, to keep everybody in Washington and throughout the Deep State in the US employed and well fed, especially DNC hangers-on, with better than average income increases. Sad state of affairs.

“Tulsi Gabbard Suggests Government is Run By A ‘Small Group of Political Elite’,” by Joe Martino, COLLECTIVE EVOLUTION, https://www.collective-evolution.com/2019/09/10/news-tulsi-gabbard-suggests-government-is-run-by-a-small-group-of-political-elite/?fbclid=IwAR2Y8BIp9omH28-0d683RCyGigAl5hIlY7m0uPohsXClWpCLmeOtK0hz7FA.

October 1

The Netherlands is a beautiful and intellectual country. I lived there three months in 1983. It was the most Nurturing Parent, Adult, and Free Child country I ever lived in, and the happiest and most satisfied. Apparently they have slipped a bit in recent decades, largely caused by problems in the Middle East, but they probably remain one of the most advanced and happiest countries around Spaceship Earth, far ahead of the US in my estimation.

I went back to Holland for a transactional analysis conference is about 2003. They have some of the best transactional analysts around Spaceship Earth.

I taught at Soesterberg, Holland in the winter of 1983, living in the village of Leersum, teaching in a masters of management systems program offered by Troy State University in the US at a US NATO fighter pilot base there, also teaching at a US base in Hessich, Germany. I would teach in Soesterberg on Tuesday and Thursday nights and then travel by train to Hessich, Germany to teach there on Friday nights. This was by far the most educational and satisfying winter quarter of my teaching career.

I got to know some Dutch TA people at Zurich, Switzerland in about 2001 at an International Transactional Analysis Association conference, and got to know them better at Utrecht, Holland at a TA conference in 2003, and then touched base with them again in Edinburgh, Scotland in 2005 at another ITAA international conference.

While I had a natural affinity for Dutch TA people, Scottish TA people in Edinburgh seemed like the least foreign native people of any country I ever lived in outside the US, probably because I am about forty percent of Scottish descent.   

“Why I Ride My Bike to Work, by the Prime Minister of the Netherlands,” by Kate Whiting and David Knowles, World Economic Forum, EcoWATCH, https://www.ecowatch.com/mark-rutte-bikes-to-work-2640672478.html?xrs=RebelMouse_fb&ts=1569609386&fbclid=IwAR1s2mtzucEglWfD4tngjJFuFkCmmTV-wn4JPRClCD5dPfNLQJWVTyRQX0I.

October 1

Notice Trump’s tweet embedded in the presentation congratulating Chairman Xi on the success of the Chinese communist party, for this gruesome display of military might, a major escalation of the new cold war insuring more money will be spent on the USian military, putting all Earthians aboard Spaceship Earth in even graver danger of near term extinction.

“’No force can shake this great nation’: President Xi leads spectacular ceremony to mark 70 years of Communist rule in China and unveils top-secret hypersonic DF=17 missile for the first time,” by Cris Pleasance for Mailonline, DAILY MAIL, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7523145/Chinas-70-year-parade-economic-military-might.html?ito=facebook_share_article-floating_navigation&fbclid=IwAR35SXNzn4IqFiy-c__kUGPbMAHOHqrKJKfGNAShnT8XDaYV8KDIBQHKmNM.

September 30

An unexpected happening.

“Three Saudi Brigades Annihilated in Devastating Houthi Offensive in Saudi Ariabia,” by Federico Pieraccini,  STRATEGIC CULTURE, https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2019/09/30/three-saudi-brigades-annihilated-in-devastating-houthi-offensive-in-saudi-arabia/?fbclid=IwAR1ENh8cg0fH5vM8GzFa1DD7lBDkl8Uu3QFmRREqQD1O-7t4_HOPt-LR8kc.

September 30

Sickening.

“All Of Donald Trump’s Assets — And What They’re Worth,” by Jennifer Wang, FORBES, https://www3.forbes.com/lists/all-of-donald-trumps-assets-and-what-theyre-worth/29/?fbclid=IwAR3m8rmSNRIvJjUiLVT-uSkL7eVJm01aFPX6XnikrQ2bK_DTdPatAd9fT1s.

September 30

Could not agree more with the Republican air force congress person shown here. It’s like Trump is doing anything he can to keep himself in power, maybe indefinitely as a dictator. Evidently he must like the stuff, power and attention.

“Trump warns of treason, civil war; GOP congressman outraged,” by Laurie Kellman, AP, https://apnews.com/f7ba2667deda489ea7eb3e173944e734?fbclid=IwAR1QhQw3uIFaAyeDb-AX8VuSSI2NQqb9BmlqvJcRZcZIcdd1KzYt8CFrO0A.

September 29

Yep.

“10 Ways the climate crisis and militarism are intertwined,” by Medea Benjamin, INTREPID REPORT, http://www.intrepidreport.com/archives/28217.

September 29

Right. Penny wise and pound foolish, like ethanol. Takes more fossil fuel to cook the stuff from corn than it saves when burned in an infernal combustion engine in a car instead of gasoline, but it makes some corn farmers a little more money.

“Climate Change and Technology,” by Rob Urie, COUNTERPUNCH, https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/09/27/climate-change-and-technology/?fbclid=IwAR09NWFVOnnc7sTbwIr-PNQUhweTYzXFVB2lsHj_7t5MKrG5X4ueUJ1VEQM.

September 29

Writing large checks to lawmakers you say?

“Big Pharma Invests Millions as Congress Prepares Drug Pricing Bills,” by Yue Stella Yu, COUNTERPUNCH, Center for Responsive Politics, https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/09/27/climate-change-and-technology/?fbclid=IwAR09NWFVOnnc7sTbwIr-PNQUhweTYzXFVB2lsHj_7t5MKrG5X4ueUJ1VEQM.

September 29

Why it matters.

“Why Edward Snowden Risked His Life to Expose the Surveillance State,” by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzales, Democracy Now, TRUTHOUT, https://truthout.org/video/why-edward-snowden-risked-his-life-to-expose-the-surveillance-state/?utm_source=sharebuttons&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=mashshare&fbclid=IwAR0CYRzkdbvBrqqGZrXmY–EyzJvEZhFvsXXoOnSuc8NpzDNqrskd6KL4sQ.

September 29

But what would they do for a living?

“We Can Save the Planet by Defunding the Pentagon,” by Medea Benjamin, TRUTHOUT, https://truthout.org/articles/we-can-save-the-planet-by-defunding-the-pentagon/?utm_source=sharebuttons&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=mashshare&fbclid=IwAR0acH2nY2w-e5HOSqz4OyD2oltJ45Av62yas2hceYAo-PojQjjfcVlJm6Y.

September 29

Here’s a new acronym, AO, “artificial optimism.”

“Consumer Stress: Defaults Rise To Highest Level in 2019,” by Tyler Durden, ZEROHEDGE, https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/consumer-stress-defaults-rise-highest-level-2019?fbclid=IwAR1UgaDXaVjQXSDol4M1JmRA72jTUhk1y6dfSylyw_859vNXi7Pn2Co8gbg.

September 20

Say it aint so Joe.

“Want To Save The Environment? De-Fund The Pentagon,” by Caitlin Johnstone, MEDIUM, https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/consumer-stress-defaults-rise-highest-level-2019?fbclid=IwAR1UgaDXaVjQXSDol4M1JmRA72jTUhk1y6dfSylyw_859vNXi7Pn2Co8gbg.

September 28

Makes sense.

“Marriage Rates Are Falling Due To Shortage Of ‘Economically Attractive’ Men, Study Says,” by Tyler Durden, ZEROHEDGE, https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/marriage-rates-are-falling-due-shortage-economically-attractive-men-study-finds?fbclid=IwAR2FP30qV4u6-qrZG8jjNf3GbjJ6j9N5SaVTKVIaCb9MyQKUZeJVuqprbAo.

September 26

Now here is something new, a disability as a Superpower.

“As an Autistic Femme, I Love Greta Thunberg’s ‘Resting Autism Face’,” by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, TRUTHOUT, https://truthout.org/articles/as-an-autistic-femme-i-love-greta-thunbergs-resting-autism-face/?utm_source=sharebuttons&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=mashshare&fbclid=IwAR1QP6QcSJvRfsOmVspFPzLhkWdxDtuW4hSCoCxrhP_WzrFdcTpHhJlexGA.

September 26

Sad news out of Sweden, and to think I talked with a Swede on a bus in Montreal, Canada, also a tourist, about twenty years ago, who proudly and adamantly told me, “Sweden does not have any social problems.”

“Sweden Spinning out of Control,” by Judith Bergman, GATESTONE INSTITUTE, https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14819/sweden-crime?fbclid=IwAR1AufII5LAGOl2IuBxlWLv1ND1FrCRSbTIsuMkwiUB3BVCa9n1R43J0o5M#.XYzP2JJqHRQ.facebook.

September 24

An interesting proposition.  Would solve a lot of problems.

“’Billionaires Shouldn’t Exist’: Bernie Sanders Proposes Tax To Cut Billionaire Wealth in Half,” by Tyler Durden, ZEROHEDGE, https://www.zerohedge.com/political/billionaires-shouldnt-exist-bernie-sanders-rolls-out-super-aggressive-tax-plan?fbclid=IwAR1tFGWKEaEhByemYxWNsILRzad2xptdEutz5kq8PED6HVOwzW6fe8xQv_0.

September 23

Here is another well researched, informative, and timely article by Courtenay Barnett, an international lawyer, who unfortunately points out the US by and large ignores international law.

“America Confronts Iran: History of US-Iran Relations and the Rule of Law,” by Courtenay Barnett, GLOBAL RESEARCH, https://www.globalresearch.ca/what-law-who-breached-us-iran-west/5689912.

September 22

Minutes of the Ogeechee Economic Forum Hour, September 21, 2019

As announced the forum took place at the Eagle Creek Brewing Company at ten o’clock before the pub opened for its normal business hours at eleven, per the invitation to the public posted below. Three participants attended, A, B, and C. Near the end of the hour C suggested that next time the forum start at eleven o’clock so the participants could order something to eat and drink during the forum. This will happen at the next meeting, the third Saturday of October, at eleven o’clock instead of the usual ten o’clock hour of the forum, at Eagle Creek.

The Classroom De-Gamer™ selected B as the Leader of the Day. B said he thought the major economic and political problem right now is the increasing polarization between extremists on the right and left caused by economic inequality and frustration that seems to be causing increasing violence and fascist attitudes and actions around Spaceship Earth. He said he had no idea what alternative for change would be best, being convinced everything that could be done has been tried at one time or another, such as higher or lower taxes, voting for different politicians, more government regulation, civil wars, world wars, regime changes, monarchies, republics, democracy, socialism, communism, fascist dictatorships, religious revivals, and what have you. He said he recommended hoping for a better day and the accidental or inevitable evolution of new and better economic, political, and social systems through synergistic learning, similar to what is recommended in the article “The Evolution of Spaceship Earth, Inc.” posted in a page on the Effective Learning Report masthead at the top of this page labeled Spaceship Earth, Inc.

Read more…

“Ogeechee Economic Forum Hour,” by Richard John Stapleton, EFFECTIVE LEARNING REPORT, https://blog.effectivelearning.net/ogeechee-economic-forum-hour/.

Feel free to forward, share, post, print, or otherwise circulate The Earthian Forum any way you see fit to all Earthians.  

FOR A FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO THE EARTHIAN FORUM: Email me at rjstapleton@bulloch.net and punch subscription into the subject line.     

RJS,  Writer, Editor & Publisher

OGEECHEE ECONOMIC FORUM HOUR

Minutes of the Ogeechee Economic Forum Hour, September 21, 2019

As announced the forum took place at the Eagle Creek Brewing Company at ten o’clock before the pub opened for its normal business hours at eleven, per the invitation to the public posted below. Three participants attended, A, B, and C. Near the end of the hour C suggested that next time the forum start at eleven o’clock so the participants could order something to eat and drink during the forum. This will happen at the next meeting, the third Saturday of October, at eleven o’clock instead of the usual ten o’clock hour of the forum, at Eagle Creek.

The Classroom De-Gamer™ selected B as the Leader of the Day. B said he thought the major economic and political problem right now is the increasing polarization between extremists on the right and left caused by economic inequality and frustration that seems to be causing increasing violence and fascist attitudes and actions around Spaceship Earth. He said he had no idea what alternative for change would be best, being convinced everything that could be done has been tried at one time or another, such as higher or lower taxes, voting for different politicians, more government regulation, civil wars, world wars, regime changes, monarchies, republics, democracy, socialism, communism, fascist dictatorships, religious revivals, and what have you. He said he recommended hoping for a better day and the accidental or inevitable evolution of new and better economic, political, and social systems through synergistic learning, similar to what is recommended in the article “The Evolution of Spaceship Earth, Inc.” posted in a page on the Effective Learning Report masthead at the top of this page labeled Spaceship Earth, Inc.

The participants then discussed on a free-flow basis the ramifications of the Spaceship Earth, Inc. article, which would more or less entail turning the Earthian economic system over to Artificial Intelligence programming and supercomputers. The discussion touched on authoritarianism and democracy and their relations to mathematics. Mathematics is inherently authoritarian, being provably-true based on deductive logic, almost the antithesis of democracy which is based on inductive logic and analogical reasoning, at best producing non-provably-true consensual answers that are generally satisfactory for most humans in groups, organizations, and systems. Regarding which is best, computers or democracy, consider what you would rather have landing an airliner you are riding on that is flying at night at thirty thousand feet with cloudy and rainy weather below, the plane’s computer system or the pilot and co-pilot who are looking out their windows?

The discussion at one point considered whether more and better teaching of mathematics might help solve the Earthian economic and political problem, since it would make human Earthians more inclined to lay down their swords and follow the dictates of AI programming and supercomputers regarding how to produce and distribute the necessities of life for all human Earthians. How to improve the teaching of mathematics was discussed. C suggested one reason why many humans do not do well in mathematics is because of the way math is often taught, with math teachers “preaching math instead of teaching math.” According to B there is nothing worse than a NIGYSOB-playing math teacher, NIGYSOB (Now I’ve Got You, You SOB) being a psychological Game inherently insecure and angry human Earthians play to get “one up”, looking for chances to catch people making mistakes and doing misdeeds, attempting to prove they are superior. While it would be nice if more humans learned not to play NIGYSOB in families, groups, organizations, and systems, it is essential that NIGYSOB players do not take control of nations through democratic elections.

C suggested more people do not attend the Ogeechee Economic Forum Hour because of perceived incompetency and lack of psychological permission to attend, being concerned that participation in the forum would somehow lessen their security and positions in other groups, which if so is a shame since a major purpose of the Ogeechee Economic Forum is to foster feelings of social and psychological equality, an I’m OK—You’re OK life position.

End of minutes of the September 21, 2019 Ogeechee Economic Forum Hour.

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

by Richard John Stapleton

The Ogeechee Economic Forum Hour as usual will be open for discussion this coming third Saturday of the month, September 21, 10-11 a.m.

This Saturday however we will meet at the Eagle Creek Brewing Company. 

Franklin Dismuke, entrepreneur, owner, and CEO of Eagle Creek Brewing Company, a graduate of the Georgia Southern Parker College of Business, agreed to make his pub space available to us free of charge from 10-11 Saturday morning.

Invite your friends who are also invited and drop by Eagle Creek Brewing Company at 106 Savannah Avenue in Statesboro at ten a.m. this coming Saturday, September 21, for fifty minutes of stimulating economic and political discussion. We’ll have more room and better parking than we had at my office. We’ll stop the discussion by 10:50 to straighten up the tables and chairs so the Eagle Creek Brewing Company pub can open for their normal business hours at 11:00. 

No food or drinks will be available during the forum hour, 10-11. Bring your own cup of coffee if you want one for the forum. You can buy whatever you might want off the Eagle Creek menu at eleven o’clock.

The main purpose of the Ogeechee Economic Forum is to provide an equal opportunity for responsible citizens to test their economic and political ideas in a public group about what to do about economic and political problems. If you don’t know a good answer for a problem maybe someone else in the group will.  Hopefully the process will make us all better citizens.

The process features a Classroom De-Gamer™ with group members sitting in a circle. A spinner attached to the De-Gamer will select the leader who will create the agenda by answering three questions, whatever pops into mind, about what s/he thinks is the most significant economic and political problem right now.

What is the problem?

What are the alternatives? 

What do you recommend?

Rarely will the De-Gamer select a leader who knows right answers for general economic and political problems, since there are no “right” answers for real economic and political problems, or at least there are no provably-true right answers.  

Once something is codified in a rule or law it is true that the rule or law entails such and such, and if one knows what is in the rule or law then s/he knows a “right” answer; but it’s difficult to prove that it was “right” that the rule or law should have been codified in the first place, or as it was. It’s even more difficult to prove, even with hindsight, that economic and political decisions were “right”.

Anyone can respond to what the De-Gamer-selected leader said with what s/he thinks are better answers, on a first-come first-serve basis, after the De-Gamer-selected leader stops talking. 

One spin of the De-Gamer most of the time generates about one hour of back and forth discussion about numerous related problems. If the discussion runs out of steam before the hour is up we can spin the De-Gamer again, or quit for the day.

The purpose of the discussion is to learn and educate, not to indoctrinate, by co-constructing answers. About the best you can hope for in most groups, organizations, and systems is to co-construct consensual answers that are good enough to satisfy most people affected by them. Or at least it seems to me this proposition is generally “right”. 

The Ogeechee Economic Forum is non-partisan.

The “Spinner” makes sure all participants (including me the moderator) have an equal shot at being the Leader of the Hour. If the spinner points me out I will present and answer the three questions just like any other participant would. Once the De-Gamer-selected leader breaks the ice it’s free flow from then on. Anyone can become the leader of the moment by diving in the discussion first. There’s no holding up of hands to get permission to talk to the whole group. No one can be interrupted once s/he starts talking to the whole group, assuming s/he does not talk too long. If someone talks too long I will clang my cowbell to give someone else a chance. There are no side conversations. All talking must be to the whole group. Anyone can get up and leave at any time if s/he has any sort of personal problem.  

A major purpose of the group is to create democracy, not autocracy.

Another purpose is to learn how to avoid playing psychological Games such as BALANCE SHEET, AIN’T IT AWFUL, GREENHOUSE, MINE’S BETTER, NIGYSOB, KICK ME, POOR ME, IF IT WEREN’T FOR YOU, LET’S YOU AND THEM FIGHT, DO ME SOMETHING, and I’M ONLY TRYING TO HELP YOU.

A major purpose is to learn how to create win-win economic and political outcomes rather than win-lose outcomes.

For more information about the De-Gaming process and facts and evidence it works go here:

http://www.effectivelearning.net/de-gaming-and-saving-democracy.html

Lastly, another purpose of the forum is to learn how to have fun while coping with serious problems.

Believe it or not, in most sessions this Game-free process generates a full hour of interesting, stimulating, informative, and satisfying experience for all participants, and the time passes quickly.

After the forum hour’s over Saturday I recommend recognizing the contributions of Coach Erk Russell, who named a drainage ditch running through Statesboro, that bordered his football practice field, Eagle Creek, who won three national championships during his tenure at Georgia Southern University, who stopped by my office one day and told me he appreciated what I was teaching some of his football players.

Coach Russell’s spirit is still with us and the Eagles almost beat Minnesota last Saturday, in one helluva football game.

In the interests of full disclosure, I always wanted to be the quarterback of the team, as I documented at 

http://www.effectivelearning.net/rjs-academic-vita.html.  

According to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal in 1954 I was probably the youngest and smallest Class A high school starting quarterback in the US.

I think I could do a better job quarterbacking the US than Donald Trump, if only a great football coach, such as Joe Moring, my high school coach in 1954, or Erk Russell in 1985, or some sort of national presidential De-Gamer, could send me in the game and put Trump on the bench.

It also seems to me most reasonably bright US adult citizens with decent educations could do a better job quarterbacking the US than Trump. I read yesterday that his approval rating is now thirty-eight percent.

Come to the Ogeechee Economic Forum Hour this Saturday to participate in some Saturday Morning armchair economic and political quarterbacking.   Armchair quarterbacking about the economy and politics is more relevant and satisfying than armchair quarterbacking about football games.  There’ll be plenty of time to watch and talk about football over the rest of the weekend. 

Please share this invitation with your friends who are also invited.

One more time,

Richard John Stapleton, PhD, CTA, Moderator

— 

WHAT LAW: WHO BREACHED? – US – IRAN – AND THE WEST

By Courtenay Barnett

It is said that maybe Iran was behind a recent attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities.

The Iranian Government denies that any attack was launched from Iranian territory.

Houthi rebels in Yemen have claimed responsibility for the attack; other accusations have been made, inclusive of, but not limited to, a possible launch from Iraqi territory without any complicity from the Government of Iraq.

In an adumbrated way, that is the essence of the problem; yet, there has not been, so far, any historical context placed on the issue.

Saudi Arabia has indeed been the source of much bombing and killing in Yemen in a war killing many Yemeni civilians now with loss of life estimated to be in the region of seventy thousand people. No doubt, from a Houthi perspective there would be much motive, willingness and perceived justifiable cause to attack Saudi Arabia. However, the US has primarily shone the spotlight on Iran – so let’s start there.

Historical and legal facts

Between 1917 and 1919 Iran suffered a great famine claiming some eighth to ten million lives. How did it happen? Simply stated, there was a British presence in Persia (subsequently changing the country’s name to Iran in 1935) and a commandeering of food from Persia for the feeding of British troops during World War 1. Britain invaded Persia in 1916 and thereafter confiscated the country’s harvests, one reason Iranians, to this day, look suspiciously at Britain in particular and the West in general.

In 1953 Iran had a freely and fairly elected democratic leader in the personage of Mohammad Mosaddegh. The CIA overthrew Mosaddegh in a CIA staged coup in 1953 ( the first of its kind post World War 11 with many to follow thereafter for the installation of leaders supportive of US policies). The issue concerned the nationalisation of Iranian oil interests ( i.e. with compensation to be paid) as was tested and upheld as lawful under international law by the then World Court. However, yet again, Anglo-American interests saw it fit to impose their will on Iran. By reference to the 1953 coup one can trace and note the seeds for the 1979 Iranian revolution having been sown by way of the installation of a leader who was more supported by the West than being credible with his own people.

The US also backed the Iraqi war against Iran of 1980-1988.

There is a resolution in the Untied Nations numbered UN Resolution 2231. By way of Article 25 of the UN Charter and as lucidly as can be stated:-

“Article 25. “The Members of the United Nations agree to accept and carry out the decisions of the Security Council in accordance with the present Charter.”

There was an extensive process of negotiations with a number of powerful Western countries, inclusive of the US, and also Russia and China and Iran agreed to comply with terms under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action ( JCPOA). The UN Security Council unanimously had approved that plan. That Resolution 2231 ended other Resolutions on other Iranian nuclear issues and became binding upon Iran, as duly and legally agreed under international law per UN Charter Article 25. The International Atomic Agency as well as the EU was involved in monitoring the agreement. Up to the point of a unilateral withdrawal from the JCOPA, under the Trump Presidency, Iran had been found to be in compliance. Since there is an extant UN Resolution in place that had not been violated by Iran, then the unilateral withdrawal by the US quite clearly is in violation of international law. So, as of 2018 President Trump unilaterally pronounced:-

In his January 2018 speech on the JCPOA.  President Trump said, “the United States will not again waive sanctions in order to stay in the Iran nuclear deal.” and he went on and said “will withdraw from the deal immediately” unless the JCPOA is renegotiated.

By contrast to the US withdrawal, it is quite evident and logical that if Iran had violated the terms of the JCPOA, then the international community would logically have concluded that UN Resolution 2231 had been breached. Thus, unilateral action by the US ought not to be judged by the same standards of International Law, by which Iran is judged?

Yet, legalities for some who think it prudent to abide by the Rule of Law both domestically and internationally is one level of rationality; US foreign policy, however, works on another level of power. There are specific procedures within the UN system intended to apply to all nations and thus such nations are governed by the rules for any  withdrawal from international agreements falling within the purview of the UN. Yes – “apply to all nations” – but, in this as in other acts of international unilateralism and/or aggression – not to the US.

Let us stop there and think for a moment.

Breaches and non-compliance

Was there any material breach of the JCPOA by Iran?

Which country complied with the JCPOA?

Which country unilaterally withdrew from the JCPOA?

Which country has shown disregard for UN Resolution 2231 and the procedures applicable thereto?

Conclusion

Four simple questions; four easy answers.

So who is/was lawful; and – which country is a law unto itself?

The questions, it appear, shall be answered primarily in the arena of realpolitik more so than in a civilized dispute resolution, Tribunal, Court or International agency. Sad, but true. However, do consider that Iran is not Iraq and Iran is definitely not the Iran of 1953.

That is the lawless world in which we live!

________________________________________

* COURTENAY BARNETT is a graduate of London University. His areas of study were economics, political science and international law. He has been a practising lawyer for over thirty years, has been arrested for defending his views, has been subjected to death threats, and has argued public interest and human rights cases. He lives and works in the Caribbean

THE EARTHIAN FORUM — 11

THE EARTHIAN FORUM, Number Eleven, Effective Learning Publications,  http://www.effectivelearning.net/effective-learning-publications.html   32 East Main Street, Statesboro, Georgia, USA, August 24, 2019

THE EARTHIAN FORUM is a digest of articles containing facts, analyses, perspectives, and recommendations concerned about existential states of affairs affecting all species of fauna and flora around Spaceship Earth. Recent articles written and published by writers in Internet publications on ecological, economic, social, political, religious, and military states of affairs around Spaceship Earth are linked below as sources.

“ASK LESS WHAT YOUR NATION CAN DO FOR YOU—ASK MORE WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR SPACESHIP EARTH”

OR SO IT SEEMS TO ME RIGHT NOW

By Richard John Stapleton, PhD, CTA, Editor & Publisher

Kurt Vonnegut, the author of Slaughterhouse-Five, once said, “Hell is waking up one morning and realizing your senior class in high school is now running the United States.” 

Vonnegut was a staff writer for the daily newspaper of his high school where he became a relative expert on high school politics.  I can’t remember whether my high school newspaper was a weekly or monthly, but for sure it was not a daily.  I published one article in it titled “Christianity—The Key to Success,” in which I asserted if you followed the teachings of Jesus in the Bible you would go to heaven, which was guaranteed success.  I have no idea what my high school readers if any thought about the article, but my grandfather, a Methodist minister, liked the piece, telling me he was surprised that I would write an article on religion.

My idea of success in my high school Christianity article was most likely not what most students in my high school considered success.  Most likely the most desired forms of success for them were getting elected president of the senior class and being popular, being recognized in the yearly Annual for it and getting voted things such as most handsome or most beautiful, most congenial, or most likely to succeed. Things like being the class valedictorian or salutatorian counted as success but not as much as getting elected class president or most handsome or most beautiful.  Me, I got voted most athletic, a desirable form of high school success, requiring little or no political ability.

It seems to me the brightest and the best are generally not elected to high offices in high schools or in US governments, state or national. The main thing that counts is popularity, caused by reverberating the characteristics, beliefs, behaviors, and narcissistic desires of the majority of voters.  

In recent decades in the US we have had people like Truman, Johnson, Nixon, Reagan, Bush I, Clinton, Bush II, and Trump elected presidents.

Instead of getting the brightest and best as class presidents of the US we have gotten some of the worst morally and ethically.

Jimmy Carter was a notable exception being one of the brightest and best intellectually and a good role model morally and ethically.

And now, the Democratic Party establishment (the DNC) and corporate media, such as CNN, want and are favoring and promoting in various ways – Joe Biden – for class president, calling him the “Frontrunner” and so on in debates, when there are other Democratic candidates who are brighter and better—Sanders, Warren, Gabbard, Yang—as anyone can see in the televised debates. 

Apparently the DNC and the Deep State, including corporate media such as CNN, consider Sanders, Warren, Gabbard, and Yang to be too intelligent, moral, and ethical to be president of the US.

Kurt Vonnegut was obviously a good student in high school, going on to Cornell, majoring in chemistry.  He learned how to write novels on his own and became famous largely because of his accidental experiences in World War II, where as a scout in the US Army he wandered into enemy territory and got captured by Germans, who sent him to Dresden where they forced him to work as a slave. 

Dresden while Vonnegut was there became a literal hell on Earth when British and USian bombers firebombed the city back into the Stone Age, killing twenty-some-odd thousand helpless civilians, leveling and burning all buildings, homes, and infrastructure of one of the most beautiful cities on Earth. 

Vonnegut survived because his German captors had accidentally assigned him to work in an underground meat storage locker.  Imagine what it was like when he got out of there into the light of day after the bombing.  That experience in Dresden is what made him famous, causing him to write Slaughterhouse-Five.

The Dresden slaughterhouse was set afire by the British and USians hoping to hasten the end of WWII, thus reducing their military casualties.  The Germans would have done the same thing to them if they could have, having tried by dropping bombs on London from airplanes, and shooting rockets over the English Channel into London, but the Germans could never develop the concentrated firepower required to ignite slaughterhouses like Dresden, or Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, destroyed by the USians for the same reason, to shorten the war and minimize US casualties.

As described in more detail in an article by Paul Street linked below the US created additional slaughterhouses similar to Dresden after WWII in North Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, the Middle East and elsewhere, trying to bomb these cultures back into the Stone Age, a phrase published in mainstream media and widely quoted, attributed to US Air Force General Curtis LeMay. 

Hopefully there will never be another human slaughterhouse ignited, burned, and destroyed by US bombing, and USians will never experience one in the US.

The US is now the undisputed Earthian military superpower, now spending as much money per year on military personnel, equipment, and bombs (including nuclear bombs) as the next eight major countries combined, some one trillion dollars this year.

Hopefully all these military expenditures will be wasted, and no more wars will be waged, especially those with human slaughterhouses caused by bombing. 

Unfortunately the US Deep State needs enemies to justify its military revenues and expenses, and some of its members probably feel a little guilty spending as much money as they do on warfighting equipment and personnel with no serious wars being fought.  How could there be any serious enemies?  Any nation on Earth would have to be a fool to militarily attack the US in a serious war. 

Because of Russia’s geographic size they are still the best prospective enemy, and the US Deep State still tries to make Russia out to be a formidable military threat in mainstream media, which they definitely are not, if the US leaves them alone.  On the other hand, there are some other military enemy prospects out there the US Deep State can possibly use to build up business and maintain revenues, namely China, Iran, and Venezuela.

Russia’s economy is about one-tenth the size of the USian economy, not much in terms of GDP, but they are in relatively good shape financially, with a much lower debt to GDP ratio than the US, a much better trade balance, and a budget surplus; and they still have hundreds of nuclear weapons left over from their Soviet Union days; and they could, if they wanted to, bomb the US back into the Stone Age with them, creating human slaughterhouses in the US.

Nuclear slaughterhouse war is one thing; global warming and climate change is another. 

Despite having been told over and over that global warming and climate change can lead to human extinction around Spaceship Earth within twenty years, it appears about half of all voters and their elected leaders in the US are determined to ignore the possibility and do away with as many environmental protection laws, rules, and procedures as possible.  

As anyone should know overpopulation is a major cause of global warming, since breeding more humans requires producing more goods and services to feed, clothe, house, and medically treat the additional humans, which requires igniting and burning more fossil fuel that causes increased global warming. 

A logical peaceful way to reduce global warming is to reduce the human population around Earth through natural attrition, natural deaths exceeding births, and the way to make this happen is to use better birth control procedures.

Unfortunately, another way to correct the overpopulation problem would be a nuclear war, which hopefully will never happen.

Regardless, voters and politicians in state after state in the US are voting for laws that could cause the human population to increase, making it harder and harder for women to have abortions, trying to force some women to birth unwanted (for any reason) children.  Advocating in effect for no birth control at all, demonstrators recently pictured on page one of our local newspaper carried signs saying that god should plan parenthood, as the crowd crowed about a new recently passed restrictive state abortion law that will reduce the freedom, dignity, and peace of mind of many thousands of women and men.

Forcing by law mothers (and fathers) to birth unwanted children—with many such parents being unable to satisfy requisite emotional, intellectual, physical, and psychological needs of a child—is cruel and inhumane—since it causes to be brought into this cold, cruel, precarious world defenseless unprotected children, who through no fault of their own will be conditioned and shaped by crippling economic, social, and psychological forces, traumas, and messages that will cause them problems as long as they live. 

So the ethical and moral thing to do is prevent unwanted human children from being birthed to parents not wanting children by making abortions and other birth control procedures readily accessible by law. 

It seems to me few Earthians are worse off than human children forced to live with parents who do not want and, worse, who do not like children, such as, for example, people depicted and represented by Jonathan Swift, W.C. Fields, and Joan Crawford.. 

And, yes, as Kurt Vonnegut pointed out, it is hell to wake up one morning and realize your senior class in high school is now running the United States—by voting into office their friends who they know will vote for things such as getting rid of environmental and social laws protecting the environment and children, as if they want all Earthians to endure short, hard, brutish, precarious lives.

Hundreds of Earthian species are now going extinct every year, largely caused by the burgeoning human species. It’s time humans took a little pity on all Earthian species of fauna and flora, a significant percentage of whom/which they are now rendering extinct, possibly including themselves.

We live in precarious times, but it will do little good to play AIN’T IT AWFUL, a psychological Game identified and labeled by transactional analysts,  https://itaaworld.org/  , in which psychological Game players collect strokes by constantly complaining about the evils and troubles of the cold cruel world, positioning themselves as Victims of obsolete economic, religious, political, and family systems manipulated and exploited by greedy self-interested power-mad sociopathic oligarchs and leaders and parents and their corrupt bought and paid for lackeys, especially lobbyists and politicians, however awful that might be in reality.

At the same time, it will do no good for Earthians to stick their heads in the sand to passively pretend everything is just hunky-dory and swell, with everything coming up roses for everyone, living in small imaginary Candide-like best of all possible worlds, playing a psychological Game labeled GREENHOUSE by transactional analysts, in which players are rewarded with plastic (fake) strokes (units of recognition) for making nonsensical positive cheerful upbeat comments about the environment and political, economic, social, and psychological states of affairs.

For at least two centuries humans have lived under the illusion that technology and labor-saving devices, new chemical applications in agriculture (fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides), and new scientific discoveries of all sorts would enable them to live happily ever after, while producing as many offspring as they wished, thereby increasing the world human population without limit, despite the admonitions of humans like Thomas Malthus, an English parson, who published in 1798 “An Essay on the Principle of Population” containing an idea that has been widely circulated in various media ever since, known as the Malthusian Concept, namely that the human population grows geometrically while the human food supply grows arithmetically, and therefore most humans were doomed to suffer food shortages, poverty, subsistence living, and premature deaths.  Up until the last few years economists have generally said that Malthus was wrong, arguing that technology, chemical agriculture, better seeds, and better irrigation would enable an ever-increasing human population to be adequately fed and housed indefinitely. Unfortunately it now appears that Malthus was right after all. World hunger, poverty and misery are increasing, even in the United States; and, even worse, some forms of technology, while improving the lives of most humans in the short run, have led them down a path to possible extinction, namely electricity and the internal combustion engine used to power billions of cars, trucks, motorcycles, riding lawn mowers, tractors, airplanes, boats, ships, houses, refrigerators, central heating and cooling systems, factories, computers, and what have you around Earth, requiring the ignition and burning of many millions of barrels, cubic feet, and tons of fossil fuel (oil, gas, and coal) every day as an energy source, the burning of which is causing global warming and climate change by putting ever more tons of heat-trapping carbon dioxide into Earth’s atmosphere. All forms of technology are not good things; and humans must now learn how to use good technology instead of bad technology, however addicted to bad technology they may be; and the Earthian human population should be peacefully reduced through natural attrition, natural deaths exceeding births, thereby reducing the need for humans to destroy Earthian habitats, unnecessarily deplete resources, and burn more fossil fuel to sustain the Earthian human population, in the short run, irrespective of long run consequences. Bringing that about will require many different kinds of changes not only in technologies and in the beliefs and behaviors of human individuals but especially in the behavior of large human institutions controlled and manipulated by deluded self-interested sociopaths. The situation is especially ominous when one considers that if humans were to give up all their addictions to bad technology cold turkey they would immediately cause an economic and political catastrophe of unimaginable proportions, possibly an earlier extinction than would otherwise have been the case. Humans are cornered or trapped in a Global Catch-22 or Gordian Knot—in a damned-if-they-do-and-damned-if-they-don’t situation—and there are no easy answers for getting loose.

For more information regarding the relevance of Transactional Analysis go to  https://www.itaaworld.org/  .

To create better discussion groups and democratic processes read my book Born to Learn:  A Transactional Analysis of Human Learning https://www.amazon.com/Born-Learn-Transactional-Analysis-Learning/dp/0692584331   .

For more information on how to co-construct better organizations and economic systems read my book   Business Voyages:  Mental Maps, Scripts, Schemata, and Tools for Co-Constructing Your Own Business Worlds   at https://www.amazon.com/Business-Voyages-Schemata-Discovering-Co-Constructing/dp/1413480810  .

To see what I personally think should be done to correct the US economically and politically in the short run given the current US Constitution see my platform for my own political party the FreeFairProgressParty at http://www.effectivelearning.net/freefairprogressparty.html .

See my article “The Evolution of Spaceship Earth, Inc.” http://www.effectivelearning.net/spaceship-earth–inc..html    for some management science ideas on how human Earthians might eventually co-construct an economic system that is viable and satisfying for everyone.   

TO RESPOND:

It’s not easy, impossible some say, to separate relevant from irrelevant focal points in order to comprehend global cases, systems, and processes, while being inundated with fake news and true facts of states of affairs generated daily around Spaceship Earth, made public on the Internet, and elsewhere, to see what’s really going on.

If you have ideas on how to democratically discuss in Game-free ways environmental, economic, social, and political problems and opportunities in something like the Ogeechee Economic Forum http://www.effectivelearning.net/ogeechee-economic-forum.html go to the RESPONSES  http://www.effectivelearning.net/responses.html    page and let us know about them.

Feel free to respond with comments about any of the SOURCES listed below using the RESPONSES http://www.effectivelearning.net/responses.html page; but please refrain from making ad hominem attacks. Criticize the facts, data, evidence, reasoning, and conclusions in any of the articles; but please refrain from attacking the characteristics of the authors, illogically trying to prove their facts, reasoning, arguments and conclusions are wrong and yours are right because of their personal histories and characteristics.

I have no desire to sell subscriptions or advertising or solicit donations for THE EARTHIAN, but I would like to sell more books. If you feel you’ve gained value from THE EARTHIAN and would like to reciprocate go to our Effective Learning Publications http://www.effectivelearning.net/effective-learning-publications.html  page and purchase one or more copies of my books. 

FOR A FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO THE EARTHIAN FORUM: Email me at rjstapleton@bulloch.net and punch subscription into the subject line.

Best wishes, RJS

SOURCES:

August 30, 2019

Here is a reality check for you.

“’Child actorvism’ and the extinction agenda of neoliberal racists,” by Matthew Maavak, INTREPID REPORT, http://www.intrepidreport.com/archives/27967.

August 30  

Say it aint so Joe.

“The New York Times’ propaganda war on Syria,” by Stephen Lendman, INTREPID REPORT, http://www.intrepidreport.com/archives/27938.

August 30

Say it aint so Joe.

“Trump’s increasingly dangerous messiah complex demands his removal from office,” by Wayne Madsen, INTREPID REPORT, http://www.intrepidreport.com/archives/27964.

August 30

Pathetic state of affairs.

“Breaking the media blackout on the imprisonment of Julian Assange,” by Minar Muhawesh, INTREPID REPORT, http://www.intrepidreport.com/archives/28005.

August 30

“Behand Islamophobia is a global movement of anti-Semites,” by Nafeez Mosaddeg Abmed, INTREPID REPORT, http://www.intrepidreport.com/archives/28011.

August 30

You don’t say.

“Liar-in-Chief Trump,” by Stephen Lendman, INTREPID REPORT, http://www.intrepidreport.com/archives/28022.

August 30

Say it aint so Joe.

“’Sociopathic disregard for our future’: Trump EPA set to gut restrictions on planet-warming methane emissions,” by Jake Johnson, INTREPID REPORT, https://www.facebook.com/richard.stapleton.397.

August 30

Unfortunately neither Sanders nor Warren are stellar on military problems.

“Are Sanders and Warren throwing a lifeline to the military-industrial complex?,” by Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J S Davies, INTREPID REPORT, https://www.facebook.com/richard.stapleton.397.

August 30

Sounds like the queen is senile or she would not have sanctioned this.

“Boris Johnson Suspends Parliament Ahead of Brexit in Attack on UK Democracy,” by Amy Goodman, Democracy Now, TROUTHOUT, https://truthout.org/video/boris-johnson-suspends-parliament-ahead-of-brexit-in-attack-on-uk-democracy/?utm_source=sharebuttons&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=mashshare&fbclid=IwAR2_ysa4ikmbR7tuyTJgN-XNVovcXvCtcwPJEfaevxgB8qJOqnS3KjEjQ3U.

August 30

Yeah, right, what next?

“Probe of Missing Georgia Votes Finds Extreme Irregularities in Black Districts,” by Andrew O’Hehir, Salon, TRUTHOUT, https://truthout.org/articles/probe-of-missing-georgia-votes-finds-extreme-irregularities-in-black-districts/?utm_source=sharebuttons&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=mashshare&fbclid=IwAR1QMWLKowH67_-6h0DOe-HyGC6418uByANhBGj59ZTgsXEGE-yuuPKNjcU.

August 30

Interesting, isn’t it?

“Bankrupt and Irrelevant:  the Presidential Debates and Four Recent Studies on Pentagon Spending,” by Pierre Sprey, Chuck Spinney, and Winslow T. Wheeler, COUNTERPUNCH, https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/08/30/bankrupt-and-irrelevant-the-presidential-debates-and-four-recent-studies-on-pentagon-spending/?fbclid=IwAR1MYdC9JE19rim-cgpGY7GKqykrZP-VRmYF_EOHZ1Q6Np-fG7MhiZoH6XM.

August 29

Here’s a relevant intellectual exercise for you, crafted by Paul Street.

“Real News or Fake News,” by Paul Street, COUNTERPUNCH, https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/08/30/real-news-or-fake-news/?fbclid=IwAR2EC2gIDmTDcHl9t2XsVJsY2pLzE3_2hDMb-Ba0Yf6nL4oiJOQSBNwIQmg.

August 29

Yeah, well, maybe, maybe not, who knows.

“Futurist Predicts Cyborgs Will Rise As ‘Our Supremacy…is Rapidly Coming To An End,” by Marc Slavo, SHTFPLAN.COM, https://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/futurists-prediction-cyborgs-will-rise-as-our-supremacy-is-rapidly-coming-to-an-end_08282019.

August 29

Here’s an interesting and challenging video by James Corbett about what your eyes and ears can believe and not believe about fake news and conspiracy theories. Lying about something being fake news or a conspiracy theory when it’s not creates the worst kind of fake news or conspiracy theory.

August 24

For more detail on how a better world might come about using Artificial Intelligence read my article “The Evolution of Spaceship Earth” by clicking on the Spaceship Earth, Inc. page on the Effective Learning Report masthead..

“A.I. Is the Cause Of — And Solution to —The End of the World,” by Bryan Walsh, MEDIUM ONE ZERO, https://onezero.medium.com/a-i-is-the-cause-of-and-solution-to-the-end-of-the-world-2d247d37eccb.

August 24

As it’s happened before.

“How Human Collapse Could Really Happen,” by Phil Torres, MEDIUM ONE ZERO, https://onezero.medium.com/how-human-collapse-could-really-happen-8f26bcf0866d.

August 24

Good news and bad news in this one.

“Could Climate Change Really End the World?, by Bryan Walsh, MEDIUM ONE ZERO, https://onezero.medium.com/could-climate-change-really-end-the-world-d0e7eb7f5b09.

August 23

Right wing ideology vs biology and ecology. What will lose?.

“Brazil’s regime destroying the Amazon rainforest for profit,” by Stephen Lendman, INTREPID REPORT,  http://www.intrepidreport.com/archives/27954.

August 23

Pathetic.  Right on.  Excellent article.

“Amazon Fires Put the Planet at Risk,” by Tierra Curry, COUNTERPUNCH, https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/08/23/amazon-fires-put-the-planet-at-risk/?fbclid=IwAR3J9Cv9a_iVUkyxUYhiaOrzU8UK_E2MOK1V8UQJCx46O6BmuLLm4IpLDFE.

August 23

You know what i think the overall problem is? As much as i hate to say it, it’s overpopulation and poverty. The people are so impoverished in Brazil that they cannot resist burning down the Amazon hoping for a better life, and the new right wing Bolsonaro regime is aiding and abetting the process, just as Trump is in the US. So what if it causes human extinction in the long run they seem to think.

“The Amazon is Dying and Bolsonaro is Fanning the Flames,” by Dahr Jamail, TRUTHOUT, https://truthout.org/articles/the-amazon-is-dying-and-bolsonaro-is-fanning-the-flames/?utm_source=sharebuttons&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=mashshare&fbclid=IwAR3uezkMqclT3aVHW-BGw0OJJCjs8LHAkV8SdGx1y2gH1XRB6LCQKsg6DOY.

August 19

Here’s another artful, cogent, relevant article by Courtenay Barnett.

“The Epstein Disgrace in the Earthian Internet Forum of Morals and Ethics,” by Courtenay Barnett, EFFECTIVE LEARNING REPORT, https://blog.effectivelearning.net/the-epstein-disgrace-in-the-earthian-internet-forum-of-morals-and-ethics-an-allegory/?fbclid=IwAR1Sf10-UJUeK3xZblZ1r9L5lbiwiP7VWsCeuMnX3MwqTQHt4AjIX3H6f6Q.

August 22

Sad but generally true.

“What globalism did was to transfer the US economy to China,” by Paul Craig Roberts, INTREPID REPORT, http://www.intrepidreport.com/archives/27940.

August 22

A bad deal.

“Offering Choice But Delivering Tyranny:  The Corporate Capture of Agriculture,” by Colin Todhunter, COUNTERPUNCH, http://www.intrepidreport.com/archives/27940.

August 22

Excellent article.

“Endangerd Species Act:  A Failure Worth Fighting For?,” by Craig Collins, COUNTERPUNCH, https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/08/21/endangered-species-act-a-failure-worth-fighting-for/?fbclid=IwAR2r8PMfwU-6Q872qKJogrtMi4isMPep5dfqnOHVdqi5JZlNgkY8GMz3MnQ.

August 22

Sure looks that way.

“Sanders And Bezos’s Shared, Debilitating Basic Premise,” by Clark T. Scott, COUONTERPUNCH, https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/08/22/sanders-and-bezoss-shared-debilitating-basic-premise/?fbclid=IwAR3Gaz7eoZAjEpCgaTRdw4JLBcFHzSZUNA5GuCBNGJmoxgmLW-b-YjNL1u0.

August 22

Right on.

“Breaking the Web of Life,” by George Ochenski, COUNTERPUNCH, https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/08/22/breaking-the-web-of-life/?fbclid=IwAR1Z8Ja7NoiVn-NRTnRgC5Ud8Vi6ZcX_9efj42BlvlWG55gMG-0Tb0Jgezs.

August 22

Best plan I’ve seen yet.

“Sanders Unveils Plan Detailing 10-Year Mobilization to Avert Climate Catastrophe,”  by Jake Johnson, TRUTHOUT, https://truthout.org/articles/sanders-unveils-plan-detailing-10-year-mobilization-to-avert-climate-catastrophe/?utm_source=sharebuttons&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=mashshare&fbclid=IwAR3kOLk_xfKtnFmAD_MASjxuaoDOTS7P4_sPQF38SwRuGVe34geEz732sRY.

August 22

Yuk.

“The ‘Lungs Of The Earth’ Are Being Burned Away As Unprecedented Wildfires Absolutely Ravage The Planet, By Michael Snyder, END OF THE AMERICAN DREAM, http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/the-lungs-of-the-earth-are-literally-being-burned-away-as-unprecedented-wildfires-absolutely-ravage-our-planet.

August 22

First time I have heard anyone mention “aggregate demand” in some time, that is, putting money in the hands of consumers who will spend the money on real goods, which is the problem. Lowering taxes do not increase aggregate demand because the rich use the extra cash to buy stock or bonds and the poor do not get enough extra cash from the tax cuts to make any difference after they spend the money. Lowering interest rates will not help increase aggregate demand if lower income people are already maxed out on their credit cards and they cannot pay back other types of bank loans for lack of income, and even if lower interest rates cause the rich to borrow more they will use the proceeds to purchase stock or bonds.

“Larry Summers Comes Clean Ahead of J-Hole, Admits Central Planners Are Impotent,” by Tyler Durden, ZEROHEDGE, https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-08-22/larry-summers-comes-clean-ahead-j-hole-admits-central-planners-are-impotent?fbclid=IwAR36Y9rIY4Js74O6ZN4lNzPErLZGeHVCAXedKzz0IyRJxNZQP7yAX50HmEs.

August 22

Say it aint so Joe.

“The Man Who Predicted The Collapse in Bond Yields Reveals What Happens Next: ‘There is a lot more to come’ ,” by Tyler Durden, ZEROHEDGE, https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-08-22/man-who-predicted-collapse-bond-yields-reveals-what-happens-next-there-lot-more?fbclid=IwAR27EfzCaXJ4v6cdtHBxIVs0wXYpiBdcp1gsPMt2OR4gNIc-p5qwNDAjfhw.

August 22

The Russians beat the US into space with their Sputnik satellite in 1958. They’ve beat the US in space again with their robot. Using solar panels to recharge batteries in robots is about the only way I can see sentient biological creatures could examine other planets harboring biological life outside their own solar systems—using robots staying in space many years traveling scores of light years.

“Russia sends its first humanoid robot Fedor into space,” by Maria Antonova, YAHOO.COM, https://news.yahoo.com/russia-send-fedor-first-humanoid-robot-space-020751065.html?soc_src=hl-viewer&soc_trk=fb.

August 22

Amazing it’s not higher.

“AP-NORC poll:  62% disapprove of how Trump’s handling his job,” by Steve Peoples and Hannah Fingerhut, ASSOCIATED PRESS, https://apnews.com/1ad13f32984a4480a45738ead2b4c0d8?fbclid=IwAR1WQ04uIMvQQn7a2GkKOyrH68-i6OXYmZmON-sEooGiyGmwqViRATuip70.

August 21

Say it aint so Joe.

“American capitalism is based on plunder,” by Paul Craig Roberts, INTREPID REPORT, http://www.intrepidreport.com/archives/27903.

August 21

Sounds pretty darn right on and prescient to me.

“The Real Reasons Why The Media is Suddenly Admitting To the Recession Threat,” by Brandon Smith, ALT-MARKET.COM, http://www.alt-market.com/index.php/articles/3894-the-real-reason-why-the-media-is-suddenly-admitting-to-the-recession-threat.

August 21

Pathetic.

“’Celebriphilia’ Epidemic Sweeps Across America:  Forget Knowledge & Wisdom, Listen to the Stars,” by Michael McCaffrey, ZEROHEDGE, https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-08-20/celebriphilia-epidemic-sweeps-across-america-forget-knowledge-wisdom-listen-stars?fbclid=IwAR1fa-4wtyfHE1cYGKXVAhzHURgIzYGBsB29cvNia13n7zg3H_-6lvP38_0.

August 21

So much for religious freedom in the Middle East.

“The Extinction of Christians in The Middle East,” by Giulio Meotti, GATESTONE INSTITUTE, https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14691/extinction-christians-middle-east.

August 21

Agree.

“Russia-Europe Relations Should Not Be Up in The Air,” by Brian Cloughley, STRATEGIC CULTURE.ORG, https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14691/extinction-christians-middle-east.

August 21

Yuk.

“’A Generation Without A Future,’  Milennials Struggle To Survive in Modern Hong Kong,” by Tyler Durden, ZEROHEDGE, https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-08-21/generation-without-future-millennials-struggle-survive-modern-hong-kong?fbclid=IwAR0x8zlZJkjug3-TJ7w_49q1My4LEumY7iywV4eOwa5iH1UGwGA-8tIKNLk.

August 21

What?  You mean James Bond can’t fix things?

“No Time To Die,” by Michael Every, ZEROHEDGE, https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-08-21/no-time-die?fbclid=IwAR0Y-mfyFEWAG86pBICfN64Qyfs9R08wxGCn_jUq2zM3tIiPoBrYKwLGQ_s.

August 20

Sickening though the facts of this article are, Paul Street once again paints an accurate picture of what has been and is going on with the US empire.  Another great article by Paul Street.

“Uncle Sam was Born Lethal,” by Paul Street, COUNTERPUNCH, https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/08/16/uncle-sam-was-born-lethal/?fbclid=IwAR2xNC2e1cL6w98aQPySscwueFn71TwRoQTJEFqgaeHo-6NNKWlwvF5R6lY.

August 19

For sure, from the git go, the US was a new nation based on conquering and supplanting a native culture, designed for European immigrants, both high and low, predicated on owning, controlling, and exploiting native and African people as enslaved primary workers, a mass migration largely caused by overpopulation and poverty in Europe, leading to what now exists, apparently unsustainable social, economic and political systems around Earth, harassed and threatened by global warming and climate change, caused by bad technology and lack of planned parenthood, causing the possibility of human extinction. Not a pretty picture.

“In order to understand the brutality of American capitalism, you have to start on the plantation.” by Matthew Desmond, NEWYORKTIMES.COM, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/slavery-capitalism.html?smid=fb-share&fbclid=IwAR0rkMesUPZHYhtrvWVU87_R2DCEf8K_BjnA4bWa3DOyUepgXQvWB9AJA8E.

August 19

Quite a statement coming from a Catholic pope.  Might cut into their market share, reducing the incentive for people to pay up.  Why go to church if there is no danger of going to hell?

“Hell does not exist, says Pope,” by The Nation Newspaper, THE NATION, https://thenationonlineng.net/hell-not-exist-says-pope/?fbclid=IwAR31d5ZYnoZlSdaV_Lv-yKkRUheoo8Npphr5ZbJYK-YwYbPMuDqj2TDz8kk.

August 19

Good article/interview.

“Russia Investigation:  Jill Stein Explains Her Relationship to Putin and Hillary Clinton,” by Alexander Nazaryan, YAHOO.COM, https://www.yahoo.com/news/russia-investigation-jill-stein-explains-115002063.html?soc_src=hl-viewer&soc_trk=fb.

August 19

About as ignorant as it gets.

“Analysis:  Scientists decry ‘ignorance’ of rolling back species protectons in the midst of a mass extinction,” by Christopher Ingraham, WASINGTONPOST.COM, https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/08/16/scientists-decry-ignorance-rolling-back-species-protections-midst-mass-extinction/?fbclid=IwAR37HTRZxaJf4WD9xW10EGWvr0iMwt2n2ciO-tVmR8DLhxSJfmmdeEnIb7w.

August 18

So he’s not that mentally competent, but will voters care? After all they voted for Reagan, Bush II, and Trump in sufficient numbers to put them into office as president.

“Joe Biden has bigger problems than just gaffes,” by Post Editorial Board, NEW YORK POST, https://nypost.com/2019/08/18/joe-biden-has-bigger-problems-than-just-gaffes/?utm_source=facebook_sitebuttons&utm_medium=site+buttons&utm_campaign=site+buttons&fbclid=IwAR3UUu-EH3cspA7v_KA72e-tjgrWpdAObnTvlcfQ6G9thuR2LLah0uF6xJY.

August 18

Are they trying to get rid of paying in cash requiring all payments to be made electronically, thereby capturing a permanent record of all transactions?

“Lost Within The Rate Cut:  The Fed’s Drive To Establish A New Payment System,” by Stephen Guinness, ZEROHEDGE, https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-08-17/lost-within-rate-cut-feds-drive-establish-new-payment-system?fbclid=IwAR2oFzghBHu3AVmOu_kgT8jwEEeXXlb1kx7BwXY7vr2ubi5e_QFJ50pEdZE.

August 18

Say it aint so Joe.

“America’s Benevolent Bombing Of Serbia,” by James Bovard, RON PAUL INSTITUTE FOR PEACE AND PROSPERITY, http://ronpaulinstitute.org/archives/featured-articles/2019/august/17/america-s-benevolent-bombing-of-serbia/.

August 17

Not sure I agree with this.

“Why Liberal Internationalism Has Already Lost the Global Struggle for the Future,”  by Martin Sieff, STRATEGICCULTURE.ORG,  https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2019/08/16/why-liberal-internationalism-has-already-lost-the-global-struggle-for-the-future/?fbclid=IwAR0F0SB3at8HPKUF0EZyCIEW6INrnNgrFfWsxOrK4yxPt180C3xaUuAS8CE.

August 16

Had no idea about this kind of pollution.

“Plastic Apocalypse:  Dangerous Microplastics Invade Alps To Artic, Found In Fresh Snow,” by Tyler Durden, ZEROHEDGE, https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-08-15/plastic-apocalypse-dangerous-microplastics-invade-alps-artic-found-fresh-snow?fbclid=IwAR3ZvgBcC8xr4J2IamZeSozUbYTutiUROnmoiiM22x239ATL84zzodH5ieA.

August 16

Say it aint so Joe.

“US Axis of Aggression in Gulf,” by Finian Cunningham, STRATEGICCULTURE.ORG, https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-08-15/plastic-apocalypse-dangerous-microplastics-invade-alps-artic-found-fresh-snow?fbclid=IwAR3ZvgBcC8xr4J2IamZeSozUbYTutiUROnmoiiM22x239ATL84zzodH5ieA.

August 16

Unfortunately this is relevant. Basically Ayn Rand’s philosophy is a rationalization for greed and selfishness and a total lack of empathy, such as displayed by Trump and most of his Republican supporters. There is a grain of truth in it assuming you must live in a fully dog eat dog world. Philosophically she praises objectivism and logic. Anyone smart enough to figure out a suboptimum answer logically and implements it for selfish gain, regardless of its affect on others and the total system, should be praised and rewarded. Assuming free will exists is illogical since most likely it does not exist. Ask Google about this and note the arguments for and against the idea that free will exists. Rand’s entire philosophy is illogically derived from the assumption that all people have free will. This is illogical because all things are caused, including thoughts, feelings, decisions, actions, etc. Therefore it’s all a matter of luck and no one is to be blamed or praised. The rich are merely lucky because of the cause-effect chains they inherited, not smart, or willful, and the poor are merely unlucky, having been subjected to the wrong kinds of cause-effect chains throughout their lives. Most rich people were born rich one way or another, and certainly did not get rich because of their own free will. Read my article “The Evolution of Spaceship Earth, Inc.” at http://www.effectivelearning.net/spaceship-earth–inc..html for an antidote to Ayn Rand’s books and philosophy, Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead, all illogically based on the fallacy of free will, and read the article posted here for the author’s take on the problem. Be sure and watch and listen to the embedded 1959 video interview of Ayn Rand by Mike Wallace to get a fuller understanding of the whole problem.

“The right wing love affair with Ayn Rand ties conservatives to one of the most disturbing sociopathic killers,”  by Thom Hartmann, INTREPID REPORT, http://www.intrepidreport.com/archives/27886.

August 15

The Brits under Johnson seem to be headed off the proverbial cliff.

“Brexit is Not the Holy Grail Its Supporters Are Imagining,” by Sasha Abramsky, TRUTHOUT, https://truthout.org/articles/brexit-is-not-the-holy-grail-its-supporters-are-imagining/?utm_source=sharebuttons&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=mashshare&fbclid=IwAR02AKurOwKMrKMjiTEM-q8rDf6pdSHNlMCOIBJLnHJojN0awoh2anPKJ4I.

August 15

Gets to the root of the matter.

“The US Has Driven Central Americans to Flee “the Northern Triangle,” by Rebecca Gordon, TRUTHOUT, https://truthout.org/articles/the-us-has-driven-central-americans-to-flee-the-northern-triangle/?utm_source=sharebuttons&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=mashshare&fbclid=IwAR38Whb7mzzLw9lUeRGSVez4rNHf68YeZHRUjAzXGQ6bCJp-IgxQVngf-N0.

August 15

Good point by the Chinese on Hillary’s dismal record on regime change effects.

“China Slams Hillary’s Regime Change Record After She Praises HK ‘Democracy’ Protests,” by Tyler Durden, ZEROHEDGE, https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-08-15/china-slams-hillarys-regime-change-record-after-she-praises-hk-protests?fbclid=IwAR1aLDG-YPgonetyev7OUfku2zfeFudR7Q4_yT8DqCTq5j5iDDff-Nw0p-8.

August 15

Seems a mite strange.

“Whopping 18 inches of hail accumulates in parts of Michigan,” by Amanda Schmidt, ACCUWEATHER, https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/whopping-18-inches-of-hail-accumulates-in-parts-of-michigan/70009085?fbclid=IwAR1xEWIndO_zBdrXCdHR_ogzMDU5S3j4i8kj6BqHBMu5uxQrfkWYZXIrE9c.

August 14

Very sad.

“The Average U.S. Farm is $1,300,000 in Debt, And Now The Worst Farmng Crisis in Modern History Is Upon Us,” by Michael Snyder, END OF THE AMERICAN DREAM, https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/whopping-18-inches-of-hail-accumulates-in-parts-of-michigan/70009085?fbclid=IwAR1xEWIndO_zBdrXCdHR_ogzMDU5S3j4i8kj6BqHBMu5uxQrfkWYZXIrE9c.

August 13

Are domestic terrorists modeling military attacks?

“Bodies on the ground and the rise and rise of the economic elite,” by Phil Rockstroh, INTREPID REPORT, http://www.intrepidreport.com/archives/27830.

August 13

Is China winning the war of economic models?

“Neoliberalism has met its match in China,” by Ellen Brown, INTREPID REPORT, http://www.intrepidreport.com/archives/27834.

August 12

Come hell or high water.

“Sea Level Rise,” by Robert Hunziker, COUNTERPUNCH, https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/08/13/sea-level-rise/?fbclid=IwAR34ZQ6px2l3LsJIhyeGrgZH7WxJVmS5GvYmGRq6A3JCH9bbxIgATvkDdIM.

August 13

Goes without saying.

“Killing Plants is the Fastest Way to End the World,” By Dahr Jamail, TRUTHOUT, https://truthout.org/articles/killing-plants-is-the-fastest-way-to-end-the-world/?utm_source=sharebuttons&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=mashshare&fbclid=IwAR1BHBQcTVgrlCTYN_d3D8D_dAMNzkkkK0Gzl8QbwYDdugLeHgvoQLRk2YE.

August 13

David Stockman rides again.

“Stockman Slams The Risible Myth Of the Savings Glut And The Lunacy Of Sub-Zero Yields,” by David Stockman, ZEROHEDGE, https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-08-13/stockman-slams-risible-myth-savings-glut-and-lunacy-sub-zero-yields?fbclid=IwAR1WArQyjPJUaqmgSa6KK_-FDQYPKPPlsa2gYOk9xpUa1Vwy1PsZMALpIqw.

August 13

Eerie alright.

“Russia’s space agency releases eerie footage of human-like android,” by Peter Lloyd, DAILY MAIL, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-7352321/Russias-space-agency-releases-eerie-footage-human-like-android-Fedor.html?ito=facebook_share_article-factbox&fbclid=IwAR0DbJOxdyx7yea5mF6pP8hHMTj-k5M6Pjq78vn7rZ-1XKLNt3SfffmqBvg.

August 13

So it seems.

“Noam Chomsky:  Trump’s ‘Economic Boom’ is a Sham,” by C.J. Polychroniou, TRUTHOUT, https://truthout.org/articles/noam-chomsky-trumps-economic-boom-is-a-sham/?utm_source=sharebuttons&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=mashshare&fbclid=IwAR00ucNhLbmqk0Lv7qh5ggSsdNr44k5DBK6qQFjpahd8mig1xgsNczl73ZE.

August 13

Remember Mike Wallace? Here is one of his greatest interviews, with one of the smartest men ever born, Aldous Huxley.

“Aldous Huxley Interview-1958 (FULL),”YOUTUBE.COM, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TQZ-2iMUR0&t=673s&fbclid=IwAR1u7-UH2ucwBp1WhDsuZBZaUoKWj7W8DriN35PVxzgRDT4iTif38ifUn9U.

August 13

Not one of the brightest and the best, but not one of the dullest and the worst.

“Greenpeace Gives Joe Biden a D- on Climate Change Report Card,”  by Ari Natter, TIME INC, https://time.com/5598313/jo-biden-climate-change-report-card/?fbclid=IwAR1c0YKRKUqxktLL-nWF8_z19ClVCYz1SSX2Lbp-Jt_FgH27pn0ehApnLXo.

August 13

A tragic story.

“The Great Land Robbery,” by Vann R. Newkirk II, THE ATLANTIC, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/09/this-land-was-our-land/594742/?utm_source=pocket-newtab&fbclid=IwAR3JdnVEbwkKUfWUy2p9pLcxKvaT5mVYZRMMzng8g0NdEMGd9u9ZxO6C55c.

August 12

Very sad.

“Farm Rot is Eating America Alive,” by Evaggelos Valliannatos, COUNTERPUNCH, https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/08/12/farm-rot-is-eating-america-alive/?fbclid=IwAR2hqy4u2YB52BC3DOVZC70cauNaCAp0Hm8tP1uRhfTLGivLoaZnN0l6ZuM.

August 13

Debt and more debt.

“Debt-End: ‘Everything’s Gone Alice-In-Wonderland’,” by David Hay, EVERGREEN GAVEKAL, https://blog.evergreengavekal.com/debt-end/.  

August 12

But the establishment wants lightweight Biden.

“Bernie Sanders ‘Acing the Electability Test’ as Another Poll Shows Senator Crushing Trump in General,” by Jake Johnson, COMMON DREAMS, https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/08/12/bernie-sanders-acing-electability-test-another-poll-shows-senator-crushing-trump?fbclid=IwAR3cf5xiTsmvVoJHBQo8LjEi_wkaFI9t7f2-k1nyZFJW2Z1LmQL4e64s60c.

August 12

Say it aint so Joe.

“Noam Chomsky on why the Republican Party is the most ‘dangerous organization in human history’,” by Maya Oppenheim, THE INDEPENDENT, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/noam-chomsky-republican-party-most-dangerous-organisation-human-history-us-politics-mit-linguist-a7706026.html?fbclid=IwAR0WJ8IUYaQlTBiKIyJtz7Qdof4v0Bmg617GI3wLFuDfGdesRn5GNWks9qs.

August 12

Seems foolhardy to me, like trying to start a fight.

“Washington’s Utterly Failed Diplomacy,” STRATEGIC CULTURE.ORG, https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2019/08/09/washingtons-utterly-failed-diplomacy/?fbclid=IwAR22GFQEPAY_eNyFtoYSctz7oqQbftfa7VKYtwtBrqki2mB0OcI1600au2M.

August 12

If there is any single technological device that could save us from global warming this is it.

“Is This The Key To Commercial Nuclear Fusion?,” by Haley Zaremba, OILPRICE.COM, https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Is-This-The-Key-To-Commercial-Nuclear-Fusion.html.

August 11

Here’s some practical observations and suggestions on what’s involved in changing life scripts. Do not assume I advocate tattoos, something I never understood, and would never do. On the other hand I agree with most of the article. Why the publisher wanted to use the embedded photo illustrating the article escapes me. Maybe it’s because tattoos like everything else are inevitable, not a function of free will. I cannot imagine what causes someone to permanently alter his or her appearance with tattoos, but something does.

“Free Will & Willpower Are Becoming a Thing of the Past. Here’s What You Can Do About It” by Benjamin Hardy, PhD, MEDIUM, https://medium.com/better-marketing/free-will-willpower-are-becoming-a-thing-of-the-past-heres-what-you-can-do-about-it-58799091fb8a.

August 10

So it seems.

“Know-nothing Americans,” by Stephen Lendman, INTREPID REPORT, http://www.intrepidreport.com/archives/27746.

August 10

I too think Gabbard is the real deal. Not only do I think that but a large number of USians also think that. The Drudge Report ran a poll right after the last debate in which I participated, one of those polls in which you hit a button for the person you think won. In this poll Tulsi Gabbard won by a landslide. She received ten thousand some odd votes of twenty eight thousand hit. Yang was second with about four thousand. Biden was a distant third with two or three thousand. The rest of the twenty eight thousand were split among the rest, including Harris. It’s obvious mainstream media such as CNN and the DNC are up to their old tricks touting Biden as the “Frontrunner”, attempting to manipulate the establishment favorite into winning, by squelching the facts about Gabbard’s approval among real people in the last DNC debate.

“The Empire is coming for Tulsi Gabbard,” BY TOM LUONGO, INTRREPID REPORT, http://www.intrepidreport.com/archives/27787.

August 10

Yep, it does seem what they mainly want is adapted obedient sheeple. This is the same thing the Nazi and Stalinist secret police did, the same thing any corrupt dictator has done to retain his power. More freedom down the tube.

“An open invitation to tyranny,” by Paul Craig Roberts, INTREPID REPORT, http://www.intrepidreport.com/archives/27798.

August 10

But, alas, dead men tell no lies.

“Politics and pedophilia: a demonic mix,” by Wayne Madsen, INTREPID REPORT, http://www.intrepidreport.com/archives/27808.

August 10

After 9/11 we got TSA and Homeland Security. What’s next?

“Biden is Doubling Down on Iraq War Lies,” by Stephen Zunes, TRUTHOUT, https://truthout.org/articles/biden-is-doubling-down-on-iraq-war-lies/?utm_source=sharebuttons&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=mashshare&fbclid=IwAR3nLkvLt8VzYJYCWAuhCzs-19R7wY40XWMnnMaJ2LiIuyF7725FUVhza_M.

August 10

Absolute insanity.

“The Right Wing is Trying to Make It a Crime to Oppose Fascism,” by Shane Burley, TRUTHOUT, https://truthout.org/articles/biden-is-doubling-down-on-iraq-war-lies/?utm_source=sharebuttons&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=mashshare&fbclid=IwAR3nLkvLt8VzYJYCWAuhCzs-19R7wY40XWMnnMaJ2LiIuyF7725FUVhza_M.

August 10

Dead men tell no lies.

“AOC After Jeffrey Epstein Found Dead: ‘We Need Answers. Lots of them.’,” by Jim Queally, TROUTHOUT, https://truthout.org/articles/aoc-after-jeffrey-epstein-found-dead-we-need-answers-lots-of-them/?utm_source=sharebuttons&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=mashshare&fbclid=IwAR1Wo9UQiAj9kOEUgDIwMXYP5Hr-HagZ33g2jOMGBDWfdxoNbcgkraAQChI.

August 10

How would we know? Its easy to see if water is rising in a glass or bathtub. You can make a mark to prove where the water level once was. But how do you do that with oceans? Do you make marks on beaches? Has anyone done this in such a way as to prove anything? Seems to me anecdotal evidence from places such as South Louisiana and the Maldives Islands make the point

“Global Sea Level Rise Began Accelerating 30 Years Earlier Than Commonly Thought,” by Ayesha Tandon, TRUTHOUT, https://truthout.org/articles/global-sea-level-rise-began-accelerating-30-years-earlier-than-commonly-thought/?utm_source=sharebuttons&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=mashshare&fbclid=IwAR2RkeQnaDVKsPjBeDo73V5ofW_OP5mQtSZkl4-XqUfCuqjNqWW-OHsOKKo.

August 9

Precarious times alright.

“Climate Crisis Means the Ruling Class has Failed. Can the working Class Inherit the Earth,” by Richard Moser, COUNTERPUNCH, https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/08/09/climate-crisis-means-the-ruling-class-has-failed-can-the-working-class-inherit-the-earth/?fbclid=IwAR1R_zocKRR5DyuuUNBVgjp817b6JYTbP9HnZM8uHzGc4z6ZBkmazs8XezI.

August 9

Another great article by Paul Street, one of the greatest writers alive. I must say I disagree with Paul Street on his basic idea, however much I like this article, namely that only a revolution can save us. Seems to me revolutions have never really solved anything. All they did was replace one set of elite rich with another. It seems to me what we need is a truly successful peaceful evolution that gets rid of the elite rich forever. Read my article “The Evolution of Spaceship Earth, Inc.,” a page listed at the top of the Effective Learning Report masthead for more information on how this might happen.

“Nothing Less Than A Revolution Can Save Us,” by Paul Street, COUONTERPUNCH, https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/08/09/nothing-less-than-a-revolution-can-save-us/?fbclid=IwAR3E4Ns_k2bfvmfoE86DWF0Q1d4zQJoXnUrGZEY_ptTvWx0eH8CjHX4WyxM.

August 9

Very sad case.

“Judge Won’t Reconsider $1,000-Per-Day Fines for Chelsea Manning,”  by Kevin Gosztola, TRUTHOUT, https://truthout.org/articles/judge-wont-reconsider-1000-per-day-fines-for-chelsea-manning/?utm_source=sharebuttons&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=mashshare&fbclid=IwAR0nHTrs5ZJ3Ojz8GmgYZpuj3zPRqtfWGmlvEo0j2kgD4ads4zq6txkJGIk.

August 9

True there’s no free lunch but humans can increase their chances of survival by changing what they have for lunch.

“There’s No free Lunch With Climate Change,” by Bryan Walsh, MEDIUM ONE ZERO, https://onezero.medium.com/theres-no-free-lunch-with-climate-change-4b9c1e095eaa.

August 3

Go Tulsi.  Gabbard is maybe the best candidate the Demos have.

“Tulsi:  A Living Reminder of Iraq’s Liars and Apologists,” by David Masciotra, THE AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE, https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/tulsi-a-living-reminder-of-iraqs-liars-and-apologists/?fbclid=IwAR3D6dUSqdV_quLw-kpX0KWNvKG94DjT38aClCsZcVw-ZV-oqv5uptCDLGw.

August 3

Let’s hope not.

“Are We Heading Toward Extinction?” by Catherine Ingram, HUFFPOST, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/facing-extinction-humans-animals-plants-species_n_5d2ddc04e4b0a873f6420bd3?ncid=engmodushpmg00000003&fbclid=IwAR0Yh1o_c6GmgXcCB1DE17Q-0GZb_HsQfk1LkZfLo5Qr6aHQV3KT0GjTawk&guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZmFjZWJvb2suY29tLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAADR7onc0aeU-bHdhnNCl4CVfU0-SDjk94ABB3a1igbwEXVUzBEsb-ESlu9lFgNtlmp9c9r2qxzZGY4QBgghsOImP87Etu9s8vRzSwk3cMTegZQIqD15Gm5IVx4d0OoOssjLSjW_2tvnbz576qYliNjyWM56qtSpbD6Uco3yBGEpS.

August 2

More than a little truth here.

“Federal Judge John G. Koeltl Ruled Against Criminal US Government’s Attempt to Frame Julian Assange and Destroy the First Amendment,” by Paul Craig Roberts, PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS INSTITUTE FOR POLITICAL ECONOMY, https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2019/08/02/federal-judge-john-g-koeltl-ruled-against-criminal-us-governments-attempt-to-frame-julian-assange-and-destroy-the-first-amendment/?fbclid=IwAR3CqxsGbnkYTqzr5vI03TESsBb0A6er_k4tETonUaExRTgshqOEaM2_S7Q.

August 2

Did not know there was a tree planting battle against climate change, but it sounds like a good idea.

“Ethiopia is leading the tree-planting battle against climate change,”  by Charlotte Sutherland-Hawes, HOUSE AND GARDEN, https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/ethiopia-is-leading-the-tree-planting-battle-against-climate-change?fbclid=IwAR2OsRhlr7ksDBVWNwvBvXazqFOq_o3yf_CbSSS5wBCOcBwOJQPsS16NCt8.

August 2

An artful cogent presentation on a significant issue, by Courtenay Barnett.

“An International Prayer for Peace,” by Courtenay Barnett, EFFECTIVE LEARING REPORT, https://blog.effectivelearning.net/an-international-prayer-for-peace/?fbclid=IwAR0M2akAF7qZk4akwjZgZZFjgbBpZO3k-q65661vEwvQftUlp5LK7zqFl8g.

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